Nov. 17, 2008

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Head coach Claire Pollard has announced the final two pieces of Northwestern's incoming recruiting class for the 2009-10 season. Linda Abu Mushraf of Bradenton, Fla., and Brittany Wowchuk of Toronto, Canada, have both signed on to play for the Wildcats, joining Kate Turvy of Dublin, Ohio, in another stellar recruiting class for Northwestern.

"We'll be losing a great senior class at the end of this year," Pollard said. "But with the additions of Linda, Brittany and Kate, we really believe we are adding a class that has the potential to go down as one of the best ever at Northwestern.

Mushraf is currently the 15th-ranked recruit in the nation and the No. 5 prospect in Florida by tennisrecruiting.net. She competed at the 30th International Casablanca Junior Cup last year where she competed against current Wildcat freshman Elena Chernyakova. In 2006, Mushraf took part in a five-week tour competing on behalf of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) against representatives from COSAT and Tennis Europe, winning a doubles title in Milan as well as in the Derby Cadets tournament in La Baule, France.

Wowchuk is a national singles champion in Canada, earning her a No. 1 national ranking. She also has been a part of five national doubles championships in Canada and has advanced as far as the quarterfinals of the U-16 Orange Bowl tournament in Florida.

"We're already looking forward to their arrival on campus to see what we can accomplish together," said Pollard, whose Wildcats start their spring season on Jan. 16 in the Wildcat Invitational.