Kristen Rafael Class: Freshman Hometown: Grand Prairie, TX High School: Nolan Catholic Height: 5-4

HIGH SCHOOL & PERSONAL DATA: Four-year letterwinner at Nolan Catholic High School ... named MVP each of her four scholastic seasons ... captured district championships all four years ... won state titles as a freshman, sophomore and senior ... dropped just one match entire high school career ... helped Nolan Catholic to state titles as a freshman and sophomore ... earned All-American honors as a senior ... awarded 2007 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year ... member of National Honor Society ... three-year member of choir and performed at Carnegie Hall ... graduated summa cum laude from high school (top 10-percent of class) ... ranked as high as fifth in the 2007 recruiting class by tennisrecruiting.net ... captured three major junior championships, including the Texas Summer Grand Slam and the MCB Cotton Bowl Super Championship ... awarded the 2006 Sportsmanship Award at the Fort Worth Pro Tennis Classic, 2004 Maureen Connelly Brinker Sportsmanship Award, G14 National Open Sportsmanship Award, G12 Zonals Sportsmanship Award ... singles and doubles semifinalist at the 2006 ITF GB1 Jerry Simmons Pan American (G18) ... doubles champion at the 2007 ITF Tennis Express (G18) ... singles and doubles champion at the Texas Summer Grand Slam (G18) ... went undefeated at the USTA Junior Fed Cup Championships (G18) ... doubles semifinalist at the 2006 USTA National Hard Court Championships (G18) ... singles and doubles National Open champion (G16) ... awarded Player of the Year by the Dallas Tennis Association (2001, G12; 2002 and 2003, G14; 2004, G16; 2005 and 2006, G18) ... Dallas Morning News and Star Telegram Player of the Year as a senior ... third Texas native, and first since 2002, to play for the Irish women's tennis team ... born August 19, 1989, in Nederland, TX ... daughter of Alex and Elieen Rafael ... has a brother Paul (24) ... enrolled in first year studies ... chose Notre Dame over Harvard, Princeton and Georgia Tech.