AUBURN, Ala. – Four Auburn women's tennis players have received postseason honors from the Southeastern Conference, the league announced on Wednesday. Seniors Carolyn Ansari and Ariana Arseneault were named first-team All-SEC, while DJ Bennett and Angella Okutoyi were both named to the second-team.
Ansari has now been tabbed first team all-conference three consecutive seasons while Arseneault received the first-team honors for the second time in her career. Wednesday marked the initial second team All-SEC selection for both Bennett and Okutoyi.
Among the best in the league 👏
— Auburn Women's Tennis (@AuburnWTennis) April 24, 2024
4️⃣ Tigers have been named All-SEC this season 👊 🎉#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/E2NvfH9Jrk
Ansari followed up her Singles All-American season in 2023 by posting a 20-11 singles record and a 14-10 doubles record this season. Ansari reached her career-high ITA singles ranking of 6th on April 9 and remained at No. 6 on April 16.
Ansari has played every match at the top of the Tigers' singles lineup and accumulated a 14-7 dual match record and a 7-4 record in SEC matches. The Greensboro, North Carolina native has earned 13 singles wins over ranked opponents including No. 13 Lisa Zarr of Pepperdine and No. 17 Celia-Belle Mohr of Vanderbilt. With the match tied at three against fourth-ranked Georgia, Ansari defeated No. Dasha Vidmanova in a dramatic three set match to upset the Bulldogs.
Arseneault has recorded a 16-13 overall singles record and a 14-11 doubles record this season for the Tigers one year after being named an ITA Singles All-American in 2023.
Playing at No. 2 and No. 3 in the Auburn singles lineup, Arseneault went 12-8 in dual matches and 7-3 in SEC matches. She has defeated four ranked singles opponents including No. 4 Sarah Hamner and No. 17 Elza Tomase during the fall. With the score tied at three against No. 27 Vanderbilt, Arseneault won a close match over Anessa Lee to clinch the team win at home.
After earning SEC All-Freshman team honors in 2023, DJ Bennett has posted a team-best 29 singles victories and 25 doubles victories in 2024.
Playing mostly at No. 3 in the Auburn singles lineup before being moved up to No. 2 later in the season, Bennett has a 19-6 dual singles record and a 11-2 mark in conference matches. She has picked up 10 singles victories against ranked opponents and at one point in the season, won nine consecutive singles matches. Bennett reached her career-high ITA singles ranking of 34th during the fall.
Bennett also defeated No. 74 Ellie Coleman of Duke 6-2, 7-5 at ITA Kickoff Weekend to punch Auburn's ticket to the 2024 ITA National Team Indoor Championships.
Together, Arseneault and Bennett have spent the majority of the season as Auburn's No. 1 doubles team. The duo have recorded a 10-3 record and a 7-1 record in conference matches. The pair have defeated five ranked opponents and achieved an ITA doubles ranking of 9th in the nation on April 16.
Okutoyi, a sophomore, has posted a 12-5 record in singles and a 11-5 record in doubles this spring. Outside of collegiate tennis, Okutoyi won the gold medal in singles and the silver medal in doubles at the 2024 African Games in Ghana.
In singles, Okutoyi achieved a career-high ITA singles ranking of 105th on February 20. She and doubles partner Adeline Flach have been impressive for the Tigers, primarily playing No. 2 in the lineup. The Auburn pair have recorded a 9-3 record in dual matches and a perfect 8-0 mark against conference opponents. Flach and Okutoyi achieved an ITA doubles ranking of 46th on April 16.