Xavier University Athletics
Trio of Musketeers earn All-BIG EAST Honors
05.01.25 | Women's Tennis
Nugent earns a spot on the First Team; Pendergast and Rexroat pick up Second Team honors with Rexroat named Freshman of the Year
NEW YORK - Following Xavier women's tennis' fifth-straight BIG EAST Championship, three Musketeers earned All-BIG EAST honors, as voted on by the league coaches. Abby Nugent earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST First Team, while Elizabeth Pendergast and Madeleine Rexroat earned Second Team honors, with Rexroat also earning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.
Nugent, a junior from Springboro, Ohio, was a unanimous selection to the First Team after going 14-5 overall in singles play in the dual season, with a 6-0 mark in BIG EAST regular season matches, including a win in the No. 1 spot as the Musketeers took the 7-0 win over Georgetown. She also picked up a pair of singles wins in the BIG EAST Championship, picking up the second singles decision in the championship match as Xavier took the 4-0 win over Villanova.
Nugent also combined with Clara Owen for 16 wins in the No. 1 doubles spot in the dual season. The pair, currently ranked the No. 62 doubles team, went 6-0 in the regular season against BIG EAST teams and picked up a pair of wins in the BIG EAST Tournament.
This is Nugent's second All-Conference honor of her career, earning Freshman of the Year and Second Team honors in 2023.
Pendergast, a senior from Cincinnati, Ohio, picked up a spot on the BIG EAST Second Team after collecting 10 wins on the season, playing primarily in the No. 1 spot, including five wins over BIG EAST squads. Pendergast also picked up wins in the No. 1 spot as the Musketeers took wins at West Virginia and Indiana.
Pendergast also picked up seven doubles wins on the season, including going 1-0 in the No. 1 spot with Emily Flowers, one of the pairs' four doubles wins. Combined with Rexroat, Pendergast had three wins, with the pair taking two doubles wins in BIG EAST Championship play, helping Xavier take the doubles point against Georgetown in the Quarterfinals and against Villanova in the Championship.
This is the first All-BIG EAST honor for Pendergast. She also earned American Athletic Conference All-Conference honors in 2022.
Rexroat, originally from Milton, Ga., was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the league's second team after posting a 14-5 singles record for her rookie season, including going 6-0 in regular season conference matches. Rexroat, playing primarily in the No. 3 spot, also picked up wins at Michigan State, Purdue, Indiana and Notre Dame. She's currently on a eight-match win streak including picking up a win over St. John's in the BIG EAST Semifinals and taking the match-clinching point in the Championship match with Villanova.
Rexroat also has five doubles wins on the season picking up a pair of wins with Natalie Smitek, including taking the win in the No. 3 spot to help the Musketeers take the doubles point in the win at Indiana. Rexroat also combined with Pendergast for three doubles wins, including two in BIG EAST Championship play, helping Xavier take the doubles point against Georgetown in the Quarterfinals and against Villanova in the Championship.
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Xavier travels to the Nashville area for NCAA tournament action, opening up play against host Vanderbilt on Friday, May 2 at 3:00 p.m.
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Nugent, a junior from Springboro, Ohio, was a unanimous selection to the First Team after going 14-5 overall in singles play in the dual season, with a 6-0 mark in BIG EAST regular season matches, including a win in the No. 1 spot as the Musketeers took the 7-0 win over Georgetown. She also picked up a pair of singles wins in the BIG EAST Championship, picking up the second singles decision in the championship match as Xavier took the 4-0 win over Villanova.
Nugent also combined with Clara Owen for 16 wins in the No. 1 doubles spot in the dual season. The pair, currently ranked the No. 62 doubles team, went 6-0 in the regular season against BIG EAST teams and picked up a pair of wins in the BIG EAST Tournament.
This is Nugent's second All-Conference honor of her career, earning Freshman of the Year and Second Team honors in 2023.
Pendergast, a senior from Cincinnati, Ohio, picked up a spot on the BIG EAST Second Team after collecting 10 wins on the season, playing primarily in the No. 1 spot, including five wins over BIG EAST squads. Pendergast also picked up wins in the No. 1 spot as the Musketeers took wins at West Virginia and Indiana.
Pendergast also picked up seven doubles wins on the season, including going 1-0 in the No. 1 spot with Emily Flowers, one of the pairs' four doubles wins. Combined with Rexroat, Pendergast had three wins, with the pair taking two doubles wins in BIG EAST Championship play, helping Xavier take the doubles point against Georgetown in the Quarterfinals and against Villanova in the Championship.
This is the first All-BIG EAST honor for Pendergast. She also earned American Athletic Conference All-Conference honors in 2022.
Rexroat, originally from Milton, Ga., was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the league's second team after posting a 14-5 singles record for her rookie season, including going 6-0 in regular season conference matches. Rexroat, playing primarily in the No. 3 spot, also picked up wins at Michigan State, Purdue, Indiana and Notre Dame. She's currently on a eight-match win streak including picking up a win over St. John's in the BIG EAST Semifinals and taking the match-clinching point in the Championship match with Villanova.
Rexroat also has five doubles wins on the season picking up a pair of wins with Natalie Smitek, including taking the win in the No. 3 spot to help the Musketeers take the doubles point in the win at Indiana. Rexroat also combined with Pendergast for three doubles wins, including two in BIG EAST Championship play, helping Xavier take the doubles point against Georgetown in the Quarterfinals and against Villanova in the Championship.
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Xavier travels to the Nashville area for NCAA tournament action, opening up play against host Vanderbilt on Friday, May 2 at 3:00 p.m.
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Players Mentioned
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