Gioia Honored as SoCon Female Athlete of the Year

May 27, 2009

Hilton Head Island, S.C. - Furman women's tennis standout Laura Gioia was named the 2009 Southern Conference Female Athlete of the Year, the league office announced on Wednesday at the annual SoCon Honors Dinner at the Crowne Plaza Resort. Gioia is the sixth Lady Paladin, and third Furman women's tennis player, to earn this prestigious honor since the conference began administering the award in 1990.

Gioia rewrote the Furman record books during her four-year career. After advancing to the round of 16 in the 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships, the native of Tampa, Fla., became the first Lady Paladin to earn ITA All-America status. Gioia, ranked among the top 20 players in the country all season, was also selected as the 2009 ITA Southeast Region Senior Player of the Year.

Despite competing at the top singles position since her freshman year, Gioia has posted three consecutive 20-win seasons. The two-time SoCon Player of the Year won 33 of her 36 career conference matches, going undefeated as a sophomore and a senior. Gioia was a first team all-conference selection in each of her four years at Furman, leading the Lady Paladins to four SoCon regular-season league titles, three conference tournament crowns, and three NCAA appearances. With 145 career singles and doubles victories, Gioia is the winningest player in Lady Paladin history. She also ranks second on the school's all-time list with 78 dual singles victories.

A back-to-back winner of Furman's Edna Hartness Female Athlete of the Year Award, Gioia recently received the SoCon's Dorothy Hicks Graduate Scholarship. Gioia has been accepted to dental school at the University of Florida, where she will begin her post-graduate studies in the fall. She volunteers with the Greenville Humane Society and has participated in community service projects through Furman's Champs/Life Skills Program.

The SoCon Male and Female Athletes of the Year are selected annually by the league athletics directors and a media member representing each conference school. The award recognizes athletic achievement, academic performance and civic involvement. Davidson's Stephen Curry was named the 2009 Bob Waters Male Athlete of the Year, garnering the award for the second consecutive year.