Gill and Mladenovic Garner All-Conference Honors
 
WCC Releases: Men I Women

PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland junior Ratan Gill and freshman Maja Mladenovic earned their first career All-Conference honors as the West Coast Conference announced the 2013 All-Conference Teams Wednesday.
 
Both players enjoyed remarkable seasons, with Mladenovic posting a team-high 13 wins on the women’s side and Gill posting a 12-9 record.
 
The recognition highlights a long road to recovery for Gill, a native of Richmond, British Columbia. After a stellar freshman campaign of 24 wins including 14 in dual matches, Gill missed most of last season to injury. As a sophomore, he played just seven matches between the fall and spring seasons with just one singles appearance.
 
With a strong work ethic and the help of UP’s training staff, Gill had regained his strength for the start of this season and stepped up big. He won his first two matches from the second spot and then settled into the number one position for the remainder of the year. Gill faced five ranked opponents this year and forced each of them to play lengthy matches.
 
Mladenovic’s recognition is equally impressive. The true freshman joined the program after the fall season, coming to Portland by way of Serbia. A few weeks later, she was playing her first collegiate match as the Pilots number one.
 
Mladenvoic proved capable of accepting the task while transitioning to Portland. A five match span in February saw her post four wins and singled that she was heating up in time for Portland’s loaded March schedule. From March 2 to April 5, Mladenovic captured eight straight wins including a pair of thrilling three set victories against the top players from No. 45 San Diego and No. 73 LMU.