University of Tennessee Athletics
VILMARIE CASTELLVI HONORED BY HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER EL NUEVO D?A
March 14, 2003 | Women's Tennis
March 14, 2003
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.
Senior Vilmarie Castellvi of the University of Tennessee Lady Vol tennis squad was honored today by her hometown newspaper El Nuevo D?a (The New Day) in Puerto Rico as one of its "Mujer del Siglo XXI" (Women of the 21st Century). Each year, the upper management of El Nuevo D?a, which has the highest circulation of any newspaper on the island, selects a group of women that have distinguished themselves professionally and socially in industries such as sports, education, fine arts and business. The group is then recognized as part of "Semana de la Mujer" (Women's Week), an annual nationwide celebration. This is the first year that a female athlete has been included among the honorees.
"This is a fantastic honor that Vilmarie truly deserves," said UT Co-Head Coach Sonia Hahn-Patrick. "She is an exemplary representative of Puerto Rico in so many ways besides on the tennis court. I know she is very proud of her country and honored to receive this recognition."
One of the most important considerations taken into account was the fact that Castellvi won gold and silver medals at the "Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe" (Central American and Caribbean Games) in December. The games, which were held in El Salvador, are considered one of the most important sports competitions in the region.
Castellvi entered her senior season at UT as the nation's No. 1-ranked singles player and also held a No. 23 doubles rank with freshman Melissa Schaub (Lexington, Ohio). She was the first player in Tennessee history to receive the nation's coveted top rating. Currently, she holds a No. 3 ranking in singles and a No. 5 rating with Schaub in doubles.
Castellvi has put together a remarkable 28-4 record in singles during her final year with the Lady Vols and is also 13-1 at the top slot in dual matches. In doubles, she is 18-4 on the year and 11-3 at No. 1 in duals. Her 123-50 career singles record puts her 10 wins away from tying the UT record for victories, which is held by Paula Kelly. She is also 11 triumphs away from reaching the 100-win plateau in doubles. Should Castellvi reach the mark, she would become only the fifth player in school history to amass 100 victories in singles and doubles.
In February, Castellvi captured edsouth Lady Vol Athlete of the Month kudos after she won the singles and doubles crowns at the Collegiate Tennis Kickoff in Las Vegas in January. The ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) concurred the following day by naming her its National Player of the Month as well. The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame also honored Castellvi when it labeled her as one of the organization's three Female Amateur Athletes of the Year on Jan. 24 in Nashville.
Castellvi won her first singles title on the USTA Professional Circuit this past August at the Rockingham Heritage Bank/USTA $10,000 Women's Professional Tennis Tournament hosted by James Madison University. Castellvi dominated Uzbekistan native Varvara Lepchenko in the final, 6-2, 6-0, for the win.
Castellvi notched an impressive 44-8 mark in singles action and went 31-15 in doubles play last season, while leading the Lady Vols to their first-ever NCAA Final Four appearance. It also marked the first time Tennessee had advanced past the Sweet 16.
In addition to her SEC second-team accolades, Castellvi earned ITA All-America status by virtue of a 9-16 seeding in the field of 64 singles competitors in the 2002 NCAA Singles Championship. She backed up that achievement by becoming just the second Lady Vol to advance to the quarterfinals, where she fell to Stanford's Gabriela Lastra. Castellvi closed out the year ranked No. 4, which at the time was the highest ranking ever earned by a Lady Vol. She also finished at No. 15 in doubles with 2002 senior Agnes Wiski.
A two-time Lady Vol Athlete of the Week winner, she closed out her junior year by nabbing edsouth Athlete of the Month honors for her performance at the NCAA Tournament. UT Women's Athletics Director Joan Cronan announced her as the Lady Vol Athlete of the Year on June 12, 2002.
As a sophomore, she was selected as the team's Most Improved Player by the coaches thanks to the niche she carved at the No. 3 singles position with a 21-6 mark. She ended the year with a 34-14 singles record and earned a final ITA ranking of 70th in singles. Playing with Alison Ojeda and Kim Gates, Castellvi amassed a 24-21 doubles record, finishing the 2000-01 season with her second-straight appearance in the NCAA Doubles Championship with Ojeda. The pair fell in the first round but earned a final ITA ranking of No. 29.
Castellvi made an immediate impact as a rookie, playing at Nos. 2 and 3 singles and one and three doubles. She posted a 12-14 ledger at the second singles slot and a 5-9 mark at the No. 3 position. In doubles action, Castellvi played with three different Lady Vols before settling in with Ojeda. In 24 outings, the tandem ended up with a 13-11 record and a No. 21 billing by the ITA after earning a berth in the NCAA Doubles Championship.
Prior to joining the Lady Vols, Castellvi was the first Puerto Rican to be invited to participate in the Challenge Cup as a USTA Player. She was nationally ranked among the top 10 in the 14 and 16 age groups. As a prep athlete at Academia San Jose Villa Caparra, she was selected as her team's first racquet, while also serving a three-year stint with her country's Federation Cup team. Castellvi traveled to numerous countries around the world as an ITF player and served as her team's captain in her final year at ASJVC.
