Cantos Siemers, Ratliff Earn Big Ten Honors
4/26/2023 1:06:02 PM | Women's Tennis
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Senior Irina Cantos Siemers is the 2023 Big Ten Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Big Ten team alongside Buckeye sophomore Sydni Ratliff, the Big Ten Conference announced Wednesday. The 14 Big Ten coaches voted on the postseason honors, with Cantos Siemers and Ratliff both unanimous all-conference selections. In addition, sophomore Shelly Bereznyak was recognized with the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for Ohio State.
Cantos Siemers is the fourth Buckeye to earn B1G Player of the Year honors, joining two-time honorees Kristy Dascoli (2000, ’01) and Francesca Di Lorenzo (2016, ’17) and Shiori Fukuda (2020). Cantos Siemers is now a three-time unanimous All-Big Ten selection. Ratliff was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season. Cantos Siemers and Ratliff, NCAA doubles qualifiers as a team last year, are currently ranked 33rd as a duo.
A two-time singles All-American, Cantos Siemers, from Brussels, Belgium, is the highest ranked Big Ten singles player this spring, currently ranked 20th. She has been in the Top 30 since Spring 2021, reaching as high as fourth. Cantos Siemers is 13-4 in dual matches this spring and was 6-0 in B1G play. Overall, she is 20-9 this season. Cantos Siemers has a 91-34 record overall in singles over the last four years, ranking seventh in program history in wins, with a 56-16 dual match ledger. The eighth Buckeye to receive all-conference recognition three or more times, Cantos Siemers earned her bachelor’s degree in communication in December and is an ITA Scholar-Athlete, Academic All-Big Ten and Ohio State Scholar-Athlete honoree.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, and a Columbus Academy graduate, Ratliff has been ranked throughout her first two years in the Scarlet and Gray. She has been ranked in the Top 36 since November, reaching a high of No. 15, and is currently 34th, third among B1G players. Ratliff is 9-6 in dual matches and was 3-1 in B1G play. Overall, the sophomore is 21-12 in singles, ranking second on the squad in singles victories. She is an Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and ITA Scholar-Athlete selection.
Bereznyak, from Bat Yam, Israel, is 13-1 in dual matches this spring and had a 5-0 Big Ten record. On the year, she is 19-6 in singles and 13-11 in doubles, with a 9-6 dual mark, including a 7-2 B1G ledger. She has earned ITA Scholar-Athlete and Ohio State Scholar-Athlete accolades.
The Big Ten Tournament is this week in West Lafayette, Ind. The No. 2 seed and No. 10-ranked Buckeyes will open play at 2 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals vs. Purdue or Nebraska. The match winner will play in the semifinals at 2 p.m. Saturday, with the final slated for noon Sunday. Tournament Central
