Cantos Siemers Named Women’s Tennis Captain
9/12/2023 10:17:00 PM | General, Women's Tennis
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Heading into the start of the fall season, Irina Cantos Siemers has been named captain of the Ohio State women's tennis team, Buckeye head coach Melissa Schaub announced.
"Irina is going to leave Ohio State as one of the most decorated players to ever go through program," Schaub said. "On top of that though, and even more importantly, she is the consummate teammate and Buckeye. She makes everyone around her better and our team will not only be better this year but also in the future because of Irina. She makes our program better every day and I hope and believe that we do the same for her.
"Irina has a lot of pride and love for her team and her school and community. She is exactly the person to lead our team."
Cantos Siemers, a fifth-year senior who earned her undergraduate degree last December, is the reigning Big Ten Athlete of the Year and a two-time singles All-American.
"I feel honored, privileged and grateful to have been chosen for this role," she said. "This group of girls and this program mean the world to me and I will do everything in my power to help my team achieve our goals this year."
A three-time unanimous All-Big Ten selection, Cantos Siemers became the sixth Buckeye to earn All-America status in singles in 2001 and repeated the honor in 2022, making her just the second two-time All-American in program history. Her overall record with Ohio State is 96-36 in singles and 78-52 in doubles. The native of Brussels, Belgium, has been ranked in the singles Top 30 the majority of the last three seasons, reaching a high of No. 4.
She starts this season ranked 16th in singles and ranked in doubles with two partners, coming in at No. 14 with Sydni Ratliff and No. 57 with Akanksha Bhan.
Cantos Siemers is also the second Buckeye to earn CSC First Team Academic All-America accolades. She earned her bachelor's degree in communications in December 2022 and is now working toward a master's degree in sports management/kinesiology. She is a four-time ITA and Ohio State Scholar-Athlete as well as a three-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient and two-time B1G Distinguished Scholar.
The Buckeyes begin their fall season at the Debbie Southern Furman Fall Classic this weekend, with play running Friday through Sunday in Greenville, S.C.
"Irina is going to leave Ohio State as one of the most decorated players to ever go through program," Schaub said. "On top of that though, and even more importantly, she is the consummate teammate and Buckeye. She makes everyone around her better and our team will not only be better this year but also in the future because of Irina. She makes our program better every day and I hope and believe that we do the same for her.
"Irina has a lot of pride and love for her team and her school and community. She is exactly the person to lead our team."
Cantos Siemers, a fifth-year senior who earned her undergraduate degree last December, is the reigning Big Ten Athlete of the Year and a two-time singles All-American.
"I feel honored, privileged and grateful to have been chosen for this role," she said. "This group of girls and this program mean the world to me and I will do everything in my power to help my team achieve our goals this year."
A three-time unanimous All-Big Ten selection, Cantos Siemers became the sixth Buckeye to earn All-America status in singles in 2001 and repeated the honor in 2022, making her just the second two-time All-American in program history. Her overall record with Ohio State is 96-36 in singles and 78-52 in doubles. The native of Brussels, Belgium, has been ranked in the singles Top 30 the majority of the last three seasons, reaching a high of No. 4.
She starts this season ranked 16th in singles and ranked in doubles with two partners, coming in at No. 14 with Sydni Ratliff and No. 57 with Akanksha Bhan.
Cantos Siemers is also the second Buckeye to earn CSC First Team Academic All-America accolades. She earned her bachelor's degree in communications in December 2022 and is now working toward a master's degree in sports management/kinesiology. She is a four-time ITA and Ohio State Scholar-Athlete as well as a three-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient and two-time B1G Distinguished Scholar.
The Buckeyes begin their fall season at the Debbie Southern Furman Fall Classic this weekend, with play running Friday through Sunday in Greenville, S.C.
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