June 1, 2007

TheACC.com introduces you to the league's
athletes, coaches and administrators each week.

Audra Cohen
Miami Year: Junior
Women's Tennis
Hometown: Plantation, Fla.
Major: Psychology
Favorite flavor ice cream: Cookie Dough

Audra Cohen's goal at the beginning of the season was to win a National Championship. On Monday, May 28th, she did just that. She defeated Lindsey Nelson of Southern California who had ended Cohen's season a year ago in the Round of 16.

Cohen successfully finishes the season with a 42-2 overall singles record -- 27-2 against ranked opponents. Her win marked the first national title in the history of the Miami Women's Tennis program.

How did you get started playing tennis?
I started just as something to do after school. As I started to get better, I took it more seriously. I was a prodigy swimmer when I was a kid so I ended up quitting swimming because I hated it and took up tennis. I was nine.

What has been your greatest accomplishment so far as an athlete?
Definitely winning an NCAA Championship this year. Last year, my team made it to the finals.

What do you still hope to accomplish in the future?
I would like to become Top 100 at least on the pro tour within the next three years.

Who was your most influential role model?
My mom. She just has a very strong, independent personality. She's a big advocate of going out and getting things for yourself. Not waiting for things to come to you, she's a go-getter, so I really try to instill that in my life as well.

What was the best advice you ever received from a coach?
Win the last point. Its just something that my coaches have told me over the years, just win the last point. That's all that really matters. It doesn't matter how you play throughout the match, just the last point. If you win that, that means you won the match.

What's your most memorable moment in sports?
I was in Rhode Island, receiving an award and I was listening to a speech Andre Agassi gave to induct his wife, Steffi Graf, into the Hall of Fame. It was interesting to see Andre, who had been honored with so many awards over the years and he was crying about how amazing the accomplishments that his wife made were. It was just pretty amazing to hear a champion cry over what another champion had done. It was pretty cool.

What was it like for you winning the singles National Championship?
It was amazing; I didn't realize it was over. I just kind of threw my hands up and looked at my coach and smiled. It didn't really hit me that it was all over and that I had won a National Championship. It's definitely starting to set in now, but its just amazing.

What is it like playing everyday in a conference that is so competitive?
I definitely attribute a lot of my success to the strength of the conference. We swept the women's awards and accolades this year. It's pretty amazing to be in such a tough conference, it keeps me on my toes. It keeps the competition really high.

Why did you choose Miami?
I actually transferred from Western to Miami. Miami is my home town, the weather is beautiful and being in South Florida is really what I'm all about