Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin
Women's Tennis Signing Class Ranked No. 12 Nationally
7/23/2018 1:49:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Lions sign fourth top-20 class in last five years; Yekaterina Alferova, Akanksha Bhan, Melissa Sakar and Caitie Sullivan join Lions as Class of 2022.
NEW YORK—For the fourth time in the last five years, the Columbia Women's Tennis program has a signed a top-20 nationally ranked recruiting class as Head Coach Ilene Weintraub '02CC will welcome four players to the 2018-19 Lions team: Yekaterina Alferova, Akanksha Bhan, Melissa Sakar and Caitie Sullivan.
The four-player class has been ranked No. 12 nationally by tennisrecruiting.net in its 2018 recruiting rankings. It is the second-highest ranked class in the Ivy League. Individually, each signee is rated among the nation's top-100 recruits as Sakar is ranked No. 18, Bhan is No. 28, Alferova comes in at No. 35 and Sullivan is No. 75.
It is Columbia women's tennis' third-highest ranked recruiting class in school history and its fourth top-20 recruiting class in the last five years. Columbia's 2015 class was ranked No. 6, while the 2017 class was No. 10 by tennisrecruiting.net.
"I have been excited about this group of incoming first-years for a long time now, and cannot wait for them to arrive on campus," Weintraub said. "They are great people and talented players. They will propel our program back into the top ranks nationally and help us achieve our goal of winning the Ivy League Championship."
The four student-athletes join nine returning letterwinners to the Lions including seniors Sarah Hu and Andrea Kevakian, juniors Ali Pollack, Renee Ren and Brianna Williams and sophomores Paulina Ferrari, Jennifer Kerr, Sarah Rahman and Christie Wan. Columbia's 2018-19 roster can be found at this link.
Columbia finished 12-8 overall and 4-3 in the Ivy League in 2017-18.
2018 WOMEN'S TENNIS SIGNEES
YEKATERINA ALFEROVA
First-Year | 5-6 | Marietta, Ga./George Walton Comprehensive H.S.
HIGH SCHOOL
A 2018 graduate of George Walton Comprehensive High School in Marietta, Ga. … Five-star recruit … Ranked among the nation's top-30 in the USTA rankings and among the top-35 in the TennisRecruiting.net ratings … Ranked the nation's No. 35 recruit by TennisRecruiting.net … Placed in the top-12 at the USTA National Clay Courts in 2017 … Finished in the top-8 at the USTA National Clay Court Championships in 2016 … Captured first place in both singles and doubles at the USTA National Open in Norman, Okla. … Placed second at the USTA Southern Level 1A Tournament in Birmingham, Ala. … Won 10 USTA National Selection tournament medals … Consistently ranked among the top-5 in the USTA Southern Section … Represented the Southern Section in the USTA Intersectional Tournament and finished in the second place … Three-time first-place finisher in the Southern Cup and won Most Valuable Player honors in 2017 while representing Georgia … Owns 35-17 USTA record … Earned a variety of academic honors including AP Scholar with Distinction and Georgia Connections Principal Honor Roll … Also was named to the Walton High School Principal Honor Roll and earned a Walton High School Academic Letter … Ranked among the top-30 students in her class out of a 650-graduating class at Walton … Involved in various volunteer activities and community service including at St. Anne's Church in Marietta, a Tennis Special Olympics event at Emory University and as a volunteer tennis coach at her previous tennis academy.
PERSONAL
Born Yekaterina Alferova on October 9, 2000 in Singapore … Daughter of Alexey Alferov and Linda Kurniawan of Marietta, Ga. … Has a younger sister Yelizaveta (6) … Both parents attended the University of Utah … Father is from Russia, mother is from Singapore and both met in college … Nicknames include Y2K and Y-kat … She was nicknamed Y2K by her first tennis coach because she was born in 2000 and has both a Y and a K in her first name … Hobbies and interests include traveling, hiking, kayaking, biking, reading, trying new foods and learning about history … Also plays the flute … Mother is her role model because she is selfless, compassionate, humble and genuine … Plays left-handed … Favorite sports memory was representing Team Georgia at the 2017 Southern Cup for the third straight year and winning team MVP … Chose Columbia because the university provides the best opportunities academically, culturally, socially and professionally, along with the fact that Columbia offers an Ivy League experience in New York City … Favorite things about New York City include the fact that there is always something new to try and that opportunities and options are endless … Chose Columbia over offers from Dartmouth, Harvard, Brown, Yale and Cornell … Enrolled at the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science and plans to major in financial engineering and pursue an investment career.
AKANKSHA BHAN
First-Year | 5-6 | Gujarat, India/Udgam School for Children
HIGH SCHOOL
A 2018 graduate of the Udgam School for Children in Ahmedabad, India where played three years for Head Coach Shrimal Bhatt … Ranked the nation's No. 28 recruit by TennisRecruiting.net … Ranked among the world's top-140 players in the International Tennis Federation World Junior Rankings … Currently ranked as the No. 1 player in the All-India Under-18 girl's rankings … Qualified for the Main Draw Junior Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia … Earned a career-high ranking of 110 on the International Junior Circuit … Won the All-India National Clay Court Championship in 2017 … Runner-up for the All-India Hard Court Singles and Doubles Championship in 2017 … Two-time ITF Grade-4 Singles Winner in both 2016 and 2017 … ITF Grade 3 singles runner-up and doubles winner in 2017 … ITF Grade 4 singles runner-up in 2017 … ITF Asian B1 doubles runner-up honoree in 2017 … Won the 2016 Khel Pratibha Award after winning the All-India National Hard Court Tennis Championship … ITF Grade 3 singles semifinalist and doubles runner-up in 2016 … Earned the Sardar Patel Award in 2015 … Won three individual championships and three team championships at the National School Games in 2016-17, 2014-15 and 2013-14 … Three-time team captain … Played three years in the first position … Compiled career singles record of 92-56 and career doubles record of 49-56 … Represented Asia under the Grand Slam Development Fund … Finished fourth at the state-level spelling bee.
PERSONAL
Born Akanksha Ajay Bhan on November 18, 2000 in Gujarat, India … Daughter of Ajay and Papita Bhan … Has an older sister Divya (21) … Both parents attended college in Srinagar … Father is an engineer … Sister Divya played lawn tennis from 2001-13 and competed at the national and international levels while completing her education at Udgam School for Children … Nickname is Akshu, short for Akanksha … Hobbies and interests include sketching, reading fiction and comics and watching Bollywood & Marvel movies … Also loves cooking … Role model is her sister … Favorite sports figure: Roger Federer … Favorite sports memory was qualifying for the Australian Junior Open main draw … Chose Columbia because of its perfect mix of education and tennis, diverse student population and also because Columbia is like no other college because of its vast arrays of opportunities … Columbia was always her top college choice … Chose Columbia over scholarship offers from Michigan, Northwestern and Texas A&M … Enrolled at Columbia College and intends to major in Economics.
MELISSSA SAKAR
First-Year | 5-6 | Lauderdale Lakes, Fla./American Heritage H.S.
HIGH SCHOOL
A 2018 graduate of American Heritage High School in Delray Beach, Fla. where she played four years of varsity tennis for Head Coach Brian Schleifer … Five-star/Blue Chip recruit … Ranked the nation's No. 8 recruit by TennisRecruiting.net … Ranked among the nation's top-20 players in the Class of 2018 … Rated the No. 1 player in the state of Florida and No. 2 player in the Southeast for the Class of 2018 … Amassed a record of 33-8 in singles competition … Undefeated in singles play at the National Team Championships in Claremont, Calif. … Fort Myers Level 3 national champion … Level 2 national finalist in Lake Worth, Fla. … Accumulated a 29-5 overall USTA record … Three-time Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel All-Palm Beach County pick … At the high school level, won the 2018 individual singles state title and captured the doubles title while leading American Heritage to the 2018 Class 2A Florida State championship as a senior in 2018 … Guided the Stallions to four consecutive Class 2A Florida state championship appearances (2015-18) … Also led her team to five consecutive district and regional championships since eighth grade … Two-time team captain … Won multiple state and national tournaments since she was 12.
PERSONAL
Born Melissa Aiko Sakar on August 4, 2000 in Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. … Daughter of Mehmet and Keiko Sakar … Father is Turkish and mother is Japanese … Speaks both Turkish and Japanese and has traveled to both countries many times … Father is her coach … Hobbies and interests include finding and trying new restaurants and cafes since she is an unofficial food critic …Favorite sports figure: Roger Federer … Role models are her parents since they sacrificed everything for her to achieve her goals … Chose Columbia because she loves the atmosphere and because of its stellar academics, vibrant location, amazing athletics and diverse student body … Knew Columbia was the right fit for her after visiting campus, meeting the people and the team and coaches … Chose Columbia over offers from Brown, Dartmouth, Penn, Northwestern, Boston College, Yale, Harvard and Princeton … Future career plans including working in the international business/government sector … Enrolled at Columbia College.
CAITIE SULLIVAN
First-Year | 5-5 | Norfolk, Va./Norfolk Academy
HIGH SCHOOL
A 2018 graduate of Norfolk Academy in Norfolk, Va., where she earned four varsity letters for Head Coach Michael Duquette … Four-star recruit … Ranked the nation's No. 75 recruit by TennisRecruiting.net … Compiled an 11-9 USTA record … Three-time Virginia State Player of the Year (2015, 2016, 2017) … Four-time First Team All-State selection (2014-17) … Three-time Conference Most Valuable Player (2015, 2016, 2017) … Four-time All-Conference honoree (2014-17) … Led the Bulldogs to three consecutive Virginia state championships in 2015, 2016 and 2017, becoming the first and only program at Norfolk Academy to win three state titles in a row … Also led the Bulldogs to 48 consecutive team wins in a row and four straight conference championships … Two-time team captain … Played at the No. 1 position during all four years … Four-time team Most Valuable Player honoree … Also played varsity lacrosse for two years … As a freshman led the Bulldogs to the 2014 conference lacrosse championship … National Merit Commended Scholar … Also earned the Royster Speech Award, presented to her out of 130 Norfolk Academy students … Member of the Norfolk Academy Medical Scholars Program … Active in community service with the Special Olympics.
PERSONAL
Born Caitlin Elizabeth Sullivan on August 30, 2000 in San Diego, Calif. … Daughter of Sean and Adrienne Sullivan of Norfolk, Va. … Has a sister Fiona and brother Liam … Mother graduated from Cornell in 1990 … Father is a Naval physician … Hails from a military family that has lived in Guam, Hawaii, California, Maryland and Virginia … Hobbies and interests include lacrosse, squash, violin, singing, performing and reading … Plays left-handed … Also enjoys teaching tennis … Suzuki trained violinist who played in the Bay Youth Orchestra and high school orchestra during her four years in high school … Has a musical theatre background and played the role of Annie in the musical … Considered attending a high school for performing arts … Has performed the National Anthem at several tennis tournaments and lacrosse games … Also has played lacrosse and soccer … Favorite sports memory was clinching Norfolk Academy's first-ever state tennis championship in the 10th grade … Chose Columbia because it will help her grow intellectually, culturally, socially and best prepare her for life after college … Also chose Columbia for its exceptional academic programs, rich history and location in New York City … Chose Columbia over offers from Boston U, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth and William & Mary … Plans to major in Biology or Economics and has future plans for a career in medicine … Enrolled at Columbia College.
The four-player class has been ranked No. 12 nationally by tennisrecruiting.net in its 2018 recruiting rankings. It is the second-highest ranked class in the Ivy League. Individually, each signee is rated among the nation's top-100 recruits as Sakar is ranked No. 18, Bhan is No. 28, Alferova comes in at No. 35 and Sullivan is No. 75.
It is Columbia women's tennis' third-highest ranked recruiting class in school history and its fourth top-20 recruiting class in the last five years. Columbia's 2015 class was ranked No. 6, while the 2017 class was No. 10 by tennisrecruiting.net.
"I have been excited about this group of incoming first-years for a long time now, and cannot wait for them to arrive on campus," Weintraub said. "They are great people and talented players. They will propel our program back into the top ranks nationally and help us achieve our goal of winning the Ivy League Championship."
The four student-athletes join nine returning letterwinners to the Lions including seniors Sarah Hu and Andrea Kevakian, juniors Ali Pollack, Renee Ren and Brianna Williams and sophomores Paulina Ferrari, Jennifer Kerr, Sarah Rahman and Christie Wan. Columbia's 2018-19 roster can be found at this link.
Columbia finished 12-8 overall and 4-3 in the Ivy League in 2017-18.
2018 WOMEN'S TENNIS SIGNEES
| Player | Height | Hometown/Previous School |
| Yekaterina Alferova | 5-6 | Marietta, Ga./George Walton Comprehensive High School |
| Akanksha Bhan | 5-6 | Gujarat, India/Udgam School for Children |
| Melissa Sakar | 5-6 | Lauderdale Lakes, Fla./American Heritage H.S. |
| Caitie Sullivan | 5-5 | Norfolk, Va./Norfolk Academy |
YEKATERINA ALFEROVA
First-Year | 5-6 | Marietta, Ga./George Walton Comprehensive H.S.
HIGH SCHOOL
A 2018 graduate of George Walton Comprehensive High School in Marietta, Ga. … Five-star recruit … Ranked among the nation's top-30 in the USTA rankings and among the top-35 in the TennisRecruiting.net ratings … Ranked the nation's No. 35 recruit by TennisRecruiting.net … Placed in the top-12 at the USTA National Clay Courts in 2017 … Finished in the top-8 at the USTA National Clay Court Championships in 2016 … Captured first place in both singles and doubles at the USTA National Open in Norman, Okla. … Placed second at the USTA Southern Level 1A Tournament in Birmingham, Ala. … Won 10 USTA National Selection tournament medals … Consistently ranked among the top-5 in the USTA Southern Section … Represented the Southern Section in the USTA Intersectional Tournament and finished in the second place … Three-time first-place finisher in the Southern Cup and won Most Valuable Player honors in 2017 while representing Georgia … Owns 35-17 USTA record … Earned a variety of academic honors including AP Scholar with Distinction and Georgia Connections Principal Honor Roll … Also was named to the Walton High School Principal Honor Roll and earned a Walton High School Academic Letter … Ranked among the top-30 students in her class out of a 650-graduating class at Walton … Involved in various volunteer activities and community service including at St. Anne's Church in Marietta, a Tennis Special Olympics event at Emory University and as a volunteer tennis coach at her previous tennis academy.
PERSONAL
Born Yekaterina Alferova on October 9, 2000 in Singapore … Daughter of Alexey Alferov and Linda Kurniawan of Marietta, Ga. … Has a younger sister Yelizaveta (6) … Both parents attended the University of Utah … Father is from Russia, mother is from Singapore and both met in college … Nicknames include Y2K and Y-kat … She was nicknamed Y2K by her first tennis coach because she was born in 2000 and has both a Y and a K in her first name … Hobbies and interests include traveling, hiking, kayaking, biking, reading, trying new foods and learning about history … Also plays the flute … Mother is her role model because she is selfless, compassionate, humble and genuine … Plays left-handed … Favorite sports memory was representing Team Georgia at the 2017 Southern Cup for the third straight year and winning team MVP … Chose Columbia because the university provides the best opportunities academically, culturally, socially and professionally, along with the fact that Columbia offers an Ivy League experience in New York City … Favorite things about New York City include the fact that there is always something new to try and that opportunities and options are endless … Chose Columbia over offers from Dartmouth, Harvard, Brown, Yale and Cornell … Enrolled at the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science and plans to major in financial engineering and pursue an investment career.
AKANKSHA BHAN
First-Year | 5-6 | Gujarat, India/Udgam School for Children
HIGH SCHOOL
A 2018 graduate of the Udgam School for Children in Ahmedabad, India where played three years for Head Coach Shrimal Bhatt … Ranked the nation's No. 28 recruit by TennisRecruiting.net … Ranked among the world's top-140 players in the International Tennis Federation World Junior Rankings … Currently ranked as the No. 1 player in the All-India Under-18 girl's rankings … Qualified for the Main Draw Junior Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia … Earned a career-high ranking of 110 on the International Junior Circuit … Won the All-India National Clay Court Championship in 2017 … Runner-up for the All-India Hard Court Singles and Doubles Championship in 2017 … Two-time ITF Grade-4 Singles Winner in both 2016 and 2017 … ITF Grade 3 singles runner-up and doubles winner in 2017 … ITF Grade 4 singles runner-up in 2017 … ITF Asian B1 doubles runner-up honoree in 2017 … Won the 2016 Khel Pratibha Award after winning the All-India National Hard Court Tennis Championship … ITF Grade 3 singles semifinalist and doubles runner-up in 2016 … Earned the Sardar Patel Award in 2015 … Won three individual championships and three team championships at the National School Games in 2016-17, 2014-15 and 2013-14 … Three-time team captain … Played three years in the first position … Compiled career singles record of 92-56 and career doubles record of 49-56 … Represented Asia under the Grand Slam Development Fund … Finished fourth at the state-level spelling bee.
PERSONAL
Born Akanksha Ajay Bhan on November 18, 2000 in Gujarat, India … Daughter of Ajay and Papita Bhan … Has an older sister Divya (21) … Both parents attended college in Srinagar … Father is an engineer … Sister Divya played lawn tennis from 2001-13 and competed at the national and international levels while completing her education at Udgam School for Children … Nickname is Akshu, short for Akanksha … Hobbies and interests include sketching, reading fiction and comics and watching Bollywood & Marvel movies … Also loves cooking … Role model is her sister … Favorite sports figure: Roger Federer … Favorite sports memory was qualifying for the Australian Junior Open main draw … Chose Columbia because of its perfect mix of education and tennis, diverse student population and also because Columbia is like no other college because of its vast arrays of opportunities … Columbia was always her top college choice … Chose Columbia over scholarship offers from Michigan, Northwestern and Texas A&M … Enrolled at Columbia College and intends to major in Economics.
MELISSSA SAKAR
First-Year | 5-6 | Lauderdale Lakes, Fla./American Heritage H.S.
HIGH SCHOOL
A 2018 graduate of American Heritage High School in Delray Beach, Fla. where she played four years of varsity tennis for Head Coach Brian Schleifer … Five-star/Blue Chip recruit … Ranked the nation's No. 8 recruit by TennisRecruiting.net … Ranked among the nation's top-20 players in the Class of 2018 … Rated the No. 1 player in the state of Florida and No. 2 player in the Southeast for the Class of 2018 … Amassed a record of 33-8 in singles competition … Undefeated in singles play at the National Team Championships in Claremont, Calif. … Fort Myers Level 3 national champion … Level 2 national finalist in Lake Worth, Fla. … Accumulated a 29-5 overall USTA record … Three-time Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel All-Palm Beach County pick … At the high school level, won the 2018 individual singles state title and captured the doubles title while leading American Heritage to the 2018 Class 2A Florida State championship as a senior in 2018 … Guided the Stallions to four consecutive Class 2A Florida state championship appearances (2015-18) … Also led her team to five consecutive district and regional championships since eighth grade … Two-time team captain … Won multiple state and national tournaments since she was 12.
PERSONAL
Born Melissa Aiko Sakar on August 4, 2000 in Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. … Daughter of Mehmet and Keiko Sakar … Father is Turkish and mother is Japanese … Speaks both Turkish and Japanese and has traveled to both countries many times … Father is her coach … Hobbies and interests include finding and trying new restaurants and cafes since she is an unofficial food critic …Favorite sports figure: Roger Federer … Role models are her parents since they sacrificed everything for her to achieve her goals … Chose Columbia because she loves the atmosphere and because of its stellar academics, vibrant location, amazing athletics and diverse student body … Knew Columbia was the right fit for her after visiting campus, meeting the people and the team and coaches … Chose Columbia over offers from Brown, Dartmouth, Penn, Northwestern, Boston College, Yale, Harvard and Princeton … Future career plans including working in the international business/government sector … Enrolled at Columbia College.
CAITIE SULLIVAN
First-Year | 5-5 | Norfolk, Va./Norfolk Academy
HIGH SCHOOL
A 2018 graduate of Norfolk Academy in Norfolk, Va., where she earned four varsity letters for Head Coach Michael Duquette … Four-star recruit … Ranked the nation's No. 75 recruit by TennisRecruiting.net … Compiled an 11-9 USTA record … Three-time Virginia State Player of the Year (2015, 2016, 2017) … Four-time First Team All-State selection (2014-17) … Three-time Conference Most Valuable Player (2015, 2016, 2017) … Four-time All-Conference honoree (2014-17) … Led the Bulldogs to three consecutive Virginia state championships in 2015, 2016 and 2017, becoming the first and only program at Norfolk Academy to win three state titles in a row … Also led the Bulldogs to 48 consecutive team wins in a row and four straight conference championships … Two-time team captain … Played at the No. 1 position during all four years … Four-time team Most Valuable Player honoree … Also played varsity lacrosse for two years … As a freshman led the Bulldogs to the 2014 conference lacrosse championship … National Merit Commended Scholar … Also earned the Royster Speech Award, presented to her out of 130 Norfolk Academy students … Member of the Norfolk Academy Medical Scholars Program … Active in community service with the Special Olympics.
PERSONAL
Born Caitlin Elizabeth Sullivan on August 30, 2000 in San Diego, Calif. … Daughter of Sean and Adrienne Sullivan of Norfolk, Va. … Has a sister Fiona and brother Liam … Mother graduated from Cornell in 1990 … Father is a Naval physician … Hails from a military family that has lived in Guam, Hawaii, California, Maryland and Virginia … Hobbies and interests include lacrosse, squash, violin, singing, performing and reading … Plays left-handed … Also enjoys teaching tennis … Suzuki trained violinist who played in the Bay Youth Orchestra and high school orchestra during her four years in high school … Has a musical theatre background and played the role of Annie in the musical … Considered attending a high school for performing arts … Has performed the National Anthem at several tennis tournaments and lacrosse games … Also has played lacrosse and soccer … Favorite sports memory was clinching Norfolk Academy's first-ever state tennis championship in the 10th grade … Chose Columbia because it will help her grow intellectually, culturally, socially and best prepare her for life after college … Also chose Columbia for its exceptional academic programs, rich history and location in New York City … Chose Columbia over offers from Boston U, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth and William & Mary … Plans to major in Biology or Economics and has future plans for a career in medicine … Enrolled at Columbia College.
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Columbia Classics Shorts - Women's Tennis 2013 Ivy League Championship
Monday, April 12
