Whitney Benik (BEN-ick) Sophomore, 5-foot-3, Right-Handed Delray Beach, Fla. (American Heritage High School) Major: Telecommunications

CAREER NOTES: Career-high ITA singles ranking: No. 52 (January 10, 2006)... Career-high ITA doubles ranking: 3 (Jan. 11, 2005 with Lolita Frangulyan) … 2005 Doubles All-American … 2004-05 Riviera/ITA All-American Doubles champion (with Frangulyan) … 2006 First Team All-Southeastern Conference (unanimous selection) … 2006 SEC Academic Honor Roll ... 2005 SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll … one doubles title.

AS A SOPHOMORE (2005-06)
Awards: Advanced into the round of 16 at the NCAA Doubles Championships (with Alexis Gordon) ... SEC Academic Honor Roll ... Evelyn Pucket Most Improved Player (team award) ... First Team All-SEC (unanimous selection)
2006 SPRING
Singles: Final Fila National Ranking: 113 … Final ITA South Region Ranking: 22 ... Season-High National Ranking: 52 (January 10) … fielded a 19-2 dual match singles record playing positions No. 3-5, including a 10-0 mark in SEC regular-season matches (all at No. 3) … led in both her NCAA first and second round singles matches when play was abandoned ... provided the clinching win in the SEC Tournament semifinals (April 22), defeating Blakeley Griffith 6-4, 6-1 ... posted an impressive 6-0, 6-1 over South Carolina's Christyn Lucas in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, one match removed from playing a three-setter versus Lucas ... the win over Lucas was the 50th of her career and the 100th combined singles and doubles victory, becoming the 34th Gator to reach the 100-win plateau ... won 13 consecutive matches to start the dual season … lone dual match loss was to Duke's 122nd-ranked Melissa Mang, 6-2, 6-2 … defeated Florida State's Nicola Slater 6-0, 6-0 for her second career double-bagel … began the spring reaching the quarterfinals of the National Collegiate Classic before losing to USC's 69th-ranked Luana Magnani 7-6, 6-3 … 3-0 in clinching dual matches (FSU, Tennessee & Tennessee-SEC SF) … 4-0 in three-set matches this spring.
Doubles: Final National Ranking: 14 (with Alexis Gordon) and 49 (with Nina Suvak) … Final ITA South Region Ranking: 5 (with Gordon) … Season-High National Ranking: 14 (May 2 & Final with Gordon) … played the No. 1 doubles position in every dual match … paired with Suvak for the first three dual matches (1-2 record), but played with Gordon in every dual match since (13-6 record) … earned a well-played 6-4, 6-0 victory over Harvard's third-ranked Melissa Anderson and Elsa O'Riain in the first round of the NCAA Doubles Championships before falling to UCLA's 12th-ranked Laura Gordon and Riza Zalamedia in the next round ... defeated Baylor's Zuzana Cerna & Daniela Covello 8-6 in a tight match in the NCAA team quarterfinals, earning a break in the final game to give UF its first individual win of the dual match ... the hard-fought 8-5 win over South Florida's ninth-ranked Gabriela Duch & Neyssa Etienne clinching the doubles point in the NCAA Second Round (May 13) ... needed just 23 minutes to collect an 8-1 win in the NCAA first round versus Samford's Sarah McKey and Emily White ... posted an impressive 8-4 victory over Duke's 17th-ranked team of Danielle Bercek and J. Robinson (March 28) … began the spring season playing with Gordon at the National Collegiate Classic, reaching the semifinals before falling 8-6 to USC's Nelson and Magnani … 5-0 with Gordon in clinching doubles-point matches (Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Auburn & South Florida-NCAA 2R) … 1-1 with Gordon in super-tiebreaker matches during the spring.
2005 FALL
Singles: Preseason National Ranking: 93 … ITA Fall South Region Rank: 13 … defeated No. 13-seeded and 44th-ranked Ashlee Davis of Wake Forest 6-1, 6-3 in the opening round of the Riviera All-American Qualifying, the highest ranked opponent she has defeated … reached the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference Coaches Fall Classic which included a 6-2, 6-1 win over Arkansas' 52nd-ranked Vlatka Javanovic.
Doubles: Preseason National Ranking: 18 (with Nina Suvak) … ITA Fall South Region Rank: 4 (with Suvak) … posted a 5-3 record with Suvak and a 2-1 record with Diana Srebrovic during the fall … capped the fall season with Srebrovic with an 8-6 win over 29th-ranked Ilona Somers and Virginia Tomatis in a non-draw match at the SEC Coaches Fall Classic … with Suvak reached the quarterfinals of the Riviera/ITA All-American Qualifying before falling to Harvard's Elsa ORiain and Melissa Anderson, 9-7.

AS A FRESHMAN (2004-05)
2004-05 Awards: Doubles All-American ... Advanced into the round of 16 at the NCAA Doubles Championships (with Lolita Frangulyan) ... Riviera/ITA All-American Doubles champion (with Frangulyan) … 2005 SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll.
2005 Spring:
Singles: Final ITA National Ranking: n/a ... Final ITA South Region Ranking: 20 ... Season-high ITA Ranking: n/a … Played dual match positions No. 3 through No. 6 … went 4-0 in NCAA dual match singles play and was one point from going 5-0 ... sparkling NCAA debut, winning her first round dual match 6-0, 6-0 and followed that with a 6-1, 6-1 decision against FIU's Shilla D'Armas in the second round ... posted the first singles victory in each of the first three rounds of the NCAA Championships and was serving at 40-30, leading 5-3 in the third against USC's Dianne Matias when play was halted in the NCAA quarterfinals ... Recorded first victory at No. 3 position on March 27 with 6-4, 6-0 victory versus Alabama's Melissa Minor … provided UF's first victory during the SEC Final, topping Joelle Schwenk 6-1, 6-2 ... Had seven match win streak snapped on March 20 after loss to No. 88 Jenna Long of North Carolina, it was Benik's first start at the No. 3 position … Lone Gator to win singles match at No. 6 Kentucky with 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 decision over Joelle Schwenk at No. 4 position, beginning dual match career win seven match win streak … Extended set winning streak to 12 to begin dual match career with 6-3, 6-2 victory versus Vanderbilt's Annie Menees … Recorded first-ever dual match victory with 6-1, 6-1 victory versus UCF's Megan Hunter ... Clinched dual match point versus FSU's Amberly Tantee with 6-3, 6-2 decision.
Doubles: Final ITA National Ranking: 13 (with Lolita Frangulyan) ... Final ITA South Region Ranking: 4 (with Frangulyan) ... Season-high ITA Ranking: 3 (Jan. 11, 2005 with Frangulyan) … advanced to the Round of 16 at the NCAA Doubles Championships with Frangulyan, defeating Harvard's Melissa Anderson and Celia Durkin 6-1, 6-1 in the opening round before losing a tough 6-1, 7-5 decision to Stanford's Amber Liu and Anne Yelsey ... began the dual match season pairing with Frangulyan but played the last half of the season with Alex Liles … was 23-9 with Frangulyan and 5-5 with Liles… with Liles: played near flawless in an 8-0 win over Vanderbilt's 47th-ranked Taka Bertrand and Amanda Fish in the SEC Semifinals ... clinched doubles point (with Liles) on April 10 with 8-4 victory versus Ole Miss duo of Mimi Renaudin and Ilona Somers … In debut with Liles, posted an 8-2 victory versus Auburn duo of Petra Bercik and Ashley Cowart at No. 2 to clinch doubles point … with Frangulyan: Defeated No. 13 Kentucky duo of Kim Coventry and Joelle Schwenk 8-2 … Clinched doubles point with 8-2 victory versus Arkansas pair of Maryori Franco and Karina Ledaja … Recorded first dual match sweep of career with 8-0 win versus South Alabama pair of Klara Jarova and Anread Kurekova … Defeated USF pair of Courtney Vernon and Liz Cruz 8-6 after dropping first three games … Opened spring season with 8-3 victory on Jan. 22 versus Baylor duo of Zuzana Zemenova and Klara Zrustova … Advanced to semifinals of the Freeman Memorial (at UNLV) before dropping 8-5 to Stanford duo of Lejla Hodzic and Whitney Deason.
Fall 2004:
Singles: ITA Fall South Region Rank: 17 … Reached the round of 16 at the ITA South Regional, falling to Georgia's 23rd-ranked Shadisha Robinson 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 … posted her first victory over a nationally ranked foe when she topped Mississippi's 81st-ranked Ilona Somers 6-2, 7-5 in the second round of the ITA South Regional … lost in the first round of the Riviera/ITA All-American Pre-Qualifying event, falling to 11th-seeded Caitlin Burke of Wisconsin … won her collegiate debut, a solid 6-1, 6-2 victory over Kentucky's Joelle Schwenk.
Doubles: ITA Fall South Region Rank: 1 (with Lolita Frangulyan) … Paired with Frangulyan to win the Riviera/ITA All-American, defeating six consecutive ranked opponents en route to the title, also emerging from the two qualifying tournaments, winning 10 matches in nine days … won three matches in the prequalifying stage before falling in the final round but were selected as 'lucky losers' into qualifying due to a late withdrawal … in qualifying won three matches to reach the main draw, where they strung together four victories over top-20 ranked tandems, becoming the second Gator duo to win the Riviera, joining 2001 champs Lindsay Dawaf and Jessica Lehnhoff … in the qualifying round, pulled out a stunning 8-2 win over the top-seeded and 13th-ranked pair of Alice Barnes and Erin Burdette of Stanford 8-2 in the third and final round, to reach the main draw … advanced to the final of the ITA South Region with Frangulyan, but withdrew due to injury while also having secured a spot in the ITA National Indoors after winning the All-American … posted a 1-2 record at the National Indoors, ending the Fall season with a 14-3 record … went 3-0 during the season-opening Gator Fall Classic playing with Boglarka Berecz.

Prior to Florida
Whitney Benik trained at the International Tennis Academy from 1997 to 2004 … coached by Alan Ma … led American Heritage High School to the 2004 Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 1A title, also winning the doubles title with Julia Koulbitskaya … 2004 singles finalist for the FHSAA Class 1A crown, falling to Melissa Saiontz of Ransom Everglades 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 … in 2003 at American Heritage High School, captured the singles, doubles and team title for the second consecutive year, breaking a 51-year old record for the most state titles earned by an individual in Florida state history … 2004 South Florida Sun-Sentinel Girls' Tennis Player of the Year … named 2002 and 2003 Tennis Player of the Year by the Palm Beach Post, Sun Sentinel and Boca Raton News … member of Team USA from 1999 to 2002, traveling extensively with the USTA … appeared on the cover of USTA Magazine as a "Future Star" with Ashley Harkelroad and Sunitha Rao … during the 2002 season, reached a singles ranking of No. 501 on the WTA tour after playing only seven tournaments … in 2001 ranked No. 2 in the Girls age 18 division in the state of Florida, while receiving a No. 8 ranking in the USTA … reached the singles round of 16 and the doubles quarterfinals of the prestigious 2001 Easter Bowl … finished in fourth place at the 2000 Super National Clay Courts, earning the Sportsmanship Award for that event … in 1999, won the Gator Bowl singles title and was selected to the Maureen Connolly Cup Team that represented the USA in England, where she was teammates with current Gator Jennifer Magley … named to the 2004 High School All-Academic team assembled by the Palm Beach Post.