Laura Vallverdu
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inducted 2020 |
A native of Valencia, Venezuela, Laura Vallverdu left Miami as the school's all-time leader in singles wins with 131, (now 3rd all-time) and in total victories (singles and doubles) with 236 (now second-most). She reached the finals of the NCAA Singles Championship as a junior in 2009 and advanced to the semifinals the next year, making her the first two-time semifinalist in program history.
As a senior in 2010, Vallverdu led the Hurricanes in singles wins with 35, finishing at 35-13, including a 21-12 mark against nationally ranked opponents. She completed the season ranked fourth in singles, her second-consecutive top-10 finish and fourth-straight top-20 finish, as well as ranked seventh in doubles.
Vallverdu was the first player in University of Miami history to win at least 30 singles matches in each of her four years. She was a five-time ITA All-American (four singles, one doubles), the fourth four-time All-American in school history, and a four-time First Team All-ACC selection, the first in the program’s history.
In 2010, Vallverdu won the Honda Sports Award for tennis, designating her as the nation’s top collegiate female athlete in the sport. The honor was based on the results of national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards program. She was also one of four nominees for the award in 2009, when she helped Miami earn the top seed at the ACC Championship for the first time. She was also named as one of the 2010 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award winners, a postgraduate scholarship award that honors undergraduate students who excel in the classroom as well as on the field of play.
As a senior in 2010, Vallverdu led the Hurricanes in singles wins with 35, finishing at 35-13, including a 21-12 mark against nationally ranked opponents. She completed the season ranked fourth in singles, her second-consecutive top-10 finish and fourth-straight top-20 finish, as well as ranked seventh in doubles.
Vallverdu was the first player in University of Miami history to win at least 30 singles matches in each of her four years. She was a five-time ITA All-American (four singles, one doubles), the fourth four-time All-American in school history, and a four-time First Team All-ACC selection, the first in the program’s history.
In 2010, Vallverdu won the Honda Sports Award for tennis, designating her as the nation’s top collegiate female athlete in the sport. The honor was based on the results of national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards program. She was also one of four nominees for the award in 2009, when she helped Miami earn the top seed at the ACC Championship for the first time. She was also named as one of the 2010 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award winners, a postgraduate scholarship award that honors undergraduate students who excel in the classroom as well as on the field of play.
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