TEMPE, Ariz. --- Tusculum University seniors Annie McCullough and Caitlin McCullough have become the first players in program history to earn All-America honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, following the release of the 2020 ITA Division II Women's All-American Awards on Tuesday.
The McCulloughs were one of 16 teams honored in doubles, while Annie McCullough was among 23 players recognized in singles by the ITA. They qualified for All-America status by winning first-round matches at the ITA Cup in October, as the ITA All-America criteria were altered for the 2020 season due to the cancellation of the majority of spring competition.
The McCulloughs finished as the Division II runner-up in doubles at the ITA Cup in Rome, Georgia and ended the fall with a 10-3 overall record, including wins over fellow All-Americans Nikol Alekseeva and Anna Novikova of Indianapolis, Ulyana Grib and Valeriya Pogrebnyak of Lynn, and Ashley Penshorn and Marina Vigil of St. Mary's (Texas) at the ITA Cup, along with a victory over Kristina Baran and Beatriz Lopez of Columbus State in the ITA Southeast Region semifinals.
The Belfast, Northern Ireland duo ended the fall season ranked second in the Oracle/ITA Division II Women's Tennis National rankings, and had a 4-2 record against ranked opponents during the fall. The McCulloughs did not appear in any matches during the spring due to injuries, and have a 54-12 record in three seasons together at Tusculum.
In singles, Annie McCullough went 10-3 during the fall to boost her career singles record (dual matches and tournaments) to 91-15. McCullough was 3-3 against nationally-ranked opponents during the fall, including wins over fellow All-Americans Kierstin Hensley of West Virginia State and Anna Savchenko of Azusa Pacific at the ITA Cup, with all three of her losses coming to All-American players. McCullough was ranked seventh in Division II in singles at the conclusion of the fall portion of the 2019-20 season.
Tusculum, which was ranked as high as 17th in the ITA Division II Women's National Team Rankings during the season, ended the abbreviated 2019-20 campaign with a 6-3 overall record and a 2-1 record in conference competition. The Pioneers were among 12 teams that received votes outside the Top 25 in the final ITA rankings of the season.
