WSU’s Bayerlova named All-American

PULLMAN - For the first time in program history, Washington State University has an All-American in tennis.

Fifth-year Cougar Michaela Bayerlova was named an All-American in women’s singles by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. She was one of 30 Division 1 players named to the 2022 list.

In order to be named an All-American by the ITA, athletes must meet a certain level of requirements: they must either earn a top-16 in the NCAA singles championship, advance to round 16 at the singles championship or finish inside the top 20 in the final ITA singles rankings.

Bayerlova finished her 2022 season with a 20-3 record and was ranked No. 19 on the ITA singles list. She spent her final season making her way to the NCAA Championship before falling in the quarterfinals to VCU’s Paola Exposito Diaz-Delgado. Bayerlova had won three matches in the tournament before bowing out in the quarterfinals, the furthest that any Cougar has made it in the tournament.

While an All-American nod stands tall, Bayerlova took home a multitude of awards during her time with the Cougars. She was named the Pac-12 Conference Singles Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year this season, the former being the first such award in WSU tennis history. In addition, she was named to the first team All-Pac-12 for the third time in her career. A third trip to the NCAA Championship also ties a previous school record, and her 93 career wins in singles are the sixth most in Cougar history.

Bayerlova dominated the competition during her sophomore and junior seasons with the Cougs. She held a 22-7 record in singles as a sophomore and a 13-0 record in singles as a junior. She reached the NCAA Championship as a sophomore in 2019 and was on track to do so again in 2020 before the season was canceled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

As a freshman, Bayerlova was the first Cougar to win a round in the NCAA Singles tournament.

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.