ITA Most Improved Senior Award honors a senior who showed the most improvement over the course of their collegiate career.
Anna Rogers entered NC State in Fall 2016 as a 5-star recruit out of Connecticut. Anna's rise and drastic improvement throughout her career have mirrored that of the program and she has defined NC State Women's Tennis for the past several seasons. This rise has culminated with the team peaking at #3 in the national rankings, Anna in singles reaching a high of #5 and #1 in doubles. As a freshman, she started playing #4 singles on a team ranking in the 30-50 range and has grown into not only the program's 1st ever All American in both singles & doubles, but the ACC's All time winningest Doubles player.
Anna's growth was particularly representative from her freshman to junior year after having a losing record her sophomore year she transformed not just into a top 10 doubles player but an All American in singles. Anna holds almost every career record at NC State.
Anna is a four-time participant in the NCAA Doubles draw and made the singles competition for the 2nd straight time in May.
I can't think of a player nationally that has come this far during the course of their college career and has meant this much to any one program. Anna's fighting spirit and endless determination have led the program to newfound heights unheard of in the 55 years history of Women's Tennis at NC State. Considering that entering her Junior year in high school Anna wasn't even ranking in the top 50 in her class the transformation she has made has been remarkable and she still continues that growth now in the final month of her collegiate career.
A letter from NC State Women's Tennis Head Coach, Simon Earnshaw
Anna,
Congratulations on being named the National award winner for the 2021 ITA Most Improved Senior!
I don't think there's a better way to put an exclamation mark on and recognize your career at NC State than this honor! What a journey it's been to reach this point, from those early freshman struggles through to this year's NCAA Tournament and the incredible conclusion to your time at NC State. Who would have thought back in 2016 you would have reached the Final 4 both with your team and in doubles as well as the Elite 8 in singles all in the same season? I know we had planned for even more but on reflection very few players manage this in a career nevermind all in the same season.
Going back to your freshman season I remember a fellow coach telling me that he thought you would be a 4-year qualifier for the NCAA Doubles tournament. To which my response was that surely someone needs a little luck along the way to accomplish that? The fact is there was no luck. Good fortune was removed by your vision, dedication, and daily appearances at the courts ready to work. In some ways, there was an inevitability about the growth you manufactured on and off the court. Everything really pointed towards you accumulating an unprecedented volume of wins (157!!!) and becoming the winningest Doubles player in ACC history.
Overall what I've been most impressed by overall was the progression you showed with every aspect of your game and the subsequent rise of your singles results. There were so many highlights including the deciding point clinchers to push NC State through to the ITA Indoors for the 1st time in 2019 and this season's comeback from 2-5 down in the 3rd, only the program's 2nd win in 58 attempts vs Duke! These moments will remain with you and all of us forever. More than this though the knowledge that your development was a catalyst for that of your fellow players and the progress this team has made. From joining an unranked NC State program and believing in this project from the beginning when almost no one gave it a chance. Seeing and living the growth throughout your 5 years in Raleigh, you represent every one of your teammates and all of us who have fought against tradition to see this through.
It would be an understatement to say that your main focus has always been on the team first and representing the Wolfpack. That being said Anna, and I know you don't like being singled out, but you couldn't be more deserving of being the first ITA national award winner in program history. Something based on the respect you have for the sheer level of competition in the ACC and college tennis, which provides perspective on just how successful you have become. We all know the reality of the work, motivation, and competitiveness it has taken to reach this point. This is your legacy at NC State, it's symbolic that nothing is out of reach for you and that there is much more to come.
Congrats again, so proud of you Anna and Go Pack!!