HAIL TO THE HISTORY MAKERS

By: Julie Paré ’96

Furman’s Julia Adams ’22 and Katarina Kozarov ’21 defeated 11th-ranked Ally Bojczuk and Julia Lilien of Notre Dame, 7-6(6), 6-3, in the opening round of the 2021 NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Doubles Championship at the USTA National Campus, claiming the Paladins’ first victory in the NCAA doubles championship. The duo ranked as high as 16th during the 2021 season and tallied a 20-3 dual match record at flight one, including a 5-1 SoCon mark.

Katarina Kozarov ’21 and Julia Adams ’22

A three-time SoCon Player of the Year, Kozarov has ranked as high as 7th nationally in singles during the 2021 season. A first-team all-conference selection for both singles and doubles, Kozarov notched a 23-1 record at flight one singles with eight victories over ranked opponents and was a perfect 7-0 in league play. The Novi Sad, Serbia, native was seeded among the top 16 and was the only seeded player not from a Power 5 school. In June, she was honored as a 2021 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division I All-American for singles. It’s only the third All-American citation in the history of the Furman women’s tennis program, and Kozarov became the first Paladin to earn the distinction twice. Laura (Gioia) Goodwin ’09 was honored as an All-American in 2009.“We are thrilled for Katarina to become the first two-time All-American in school history,” says Furman head coach Adam Herendeen. “When she committed to coming back for her fifth year, this is exactly the kind of season that we had planned. Her impact on our program is immeasurable, and we could not be more proud of everything that she has helped our program achieve.”

In the spring, the Paladins rewrote the record books, rising as high as 23rd in the ITA national rankings, marking the highest ranking in program history.

Playing sports during the “wrong” season was just the beginning of an unprecedented year.

Gabbi Jennings ’20 and Ryan Adams ’20 are starting their careers in professional running.