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WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State sophomore Fatima Bizhukova (No. 72, ITA) earned the American Athletic Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Individual Championship and will begin play Wednesday at 3 p.m. CT in Winston-Salem, N.C.
 
Bizhukova will open play on Wednesday, March 23 against Michaela Gordon of Stanford, who comes into the match ranked No. 15. The freshman, which played in the No. 1 slot for the 2018 National Champion Stanford team, holds a 21-9 overall record, and is 8-7 against nationally ranked opponents.
 
A native of Balashiha, Russia, Bizhukova has compiled a 19-13 overall record, with five wins over ranked opponents, including straight-set wins over No. 3 Andrea Lazaro of FIU and Syracuse's No. 5-ranked Gabriela Knutson.
 
Bizhukova is looking to become the first Shocker to advance past the opening round of the Championship. She is only the fifth Shocker to compete in the women's singles draw. Shocker standouts Lutfiano Budharto (2011, 2012), Madina Rakhim (2007), singles career leader Sandy Sadler (1984) and Gabriela Porubin (2016) are among the group.
 
Bizhukova's No. 55 ranking earlier this season was the highest since Budiharto in 2009-10 (54).
 
In the NCAA Team Championships, the sophomore sits atop the Shocker leaderboard with five combined singles and doubles wins. She is 5-1 in her career, with a pair of top-10 doubles wins with teammate Marta Bellucco.