K-State Honored with ITA Community Service Award
Jun 21, 2021 | Tennis
The Wildcats are now in consideration for the national award
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State women's tennis team was recently recognized for its work in the community, as the Wildcats were honored with the Central Region Community Service Award from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) during the announcement of its 2021 Division I Regional Playing Awards.
K-State was one of nine schools nationally to earn a region Community Service Award from the ITA and will now be considered for the national award. The other finalists include Austin Peay (Ohio Valley Region), Boise State (Mountain), Dartmouth (Northeast), Georgia (Southeast), Gonzaga (Northwest), Notre Dame (Midwest), South Carolina (Carolina) and UAB (Southern).
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Wildcats' community service activities were limited to involvement with the Cats in the Classroom program with the Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 school district.
"I'm extremely proud and honored for our team to receive this award," said head coach Jordan Smith. "We strive for our ladies to make their representation in the community just as important as excelling in the classroom and on the court. I really appreciate how this team took extra time to be helpful during a tough year for everyone."
To qualify for the award, the ITA requires that a team gives back to their campus or their community through tennis and non-tennis pathways as well as a detailed statement explaining the team's activities, organizations partnered with, and hours served per year.
The community service honor was yet another on an already impressive list of accomplishments for the Wildcats in 2020-21. Sophomore Karine-Marion Job and junior Maria Linares were named to All-Big 12 Teams for their on-the-court efforts, including Job to both the singles and doubles' teams, while a Big 12-best seven players were selected to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team.
K-State will return six letter winners, including Job and Linares, for the 2021-22 season to go along with a two-person recruiting class rated among the Top 25 nationally by the Tennis Recruiting Network. The Wildcats finished the spring schedule with a 7-12 overall record, including a 2-7 mark in conference play.
K-State was one of nine schools nationally to earn a region Community Service Award from the ITA and will now be considered for the national award. The other finalists include Austin Peay (Ohio Valley Region), Boise State (Mountain), Dartmouth (Northeast), Georgia (Southeast), Gonzaga (Northwest), Notre Dame (Midwest), South Carolina (Carolina) and UAB (Southern).
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Wildcats' community service activities were limited to involvement with the Cats in the Classroom program with the Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 school district.
"I'm extremely proud and honored for our team to receive this award," said head coach Jordan Smith. "We strive for our ladies to make their representation in the community just as important as excelling in the classroom and on the court. I really appreciate how this team took extra time to be helpful during a tough year for everyone."
To qualify for the award, the ITA requires that a team gives back to their campus or their community through tennis and non-tennis pathways as well as a detailed statement explaining the team's activities, organizations partnered with, and hours served per year.
The community service honor was yet another on an already impressive list of accomplishments for the Wildcats in 2020-21. Sophomore Karine-Marion Job and junior Maria Linares were named to All-Big 12 Teams for their on-the-court efforts, including Job to both the singles and doubles' teams, while a Big 12-best seven players were selected to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team.
K-State will return six letter winners, including Job and Linares, for the 2021-22 season to go along with a two-person recruiting class rated among the Top 25 nationally by the Tennis Recruiting Network. The Wildcats finished the spring schedule with a 7-12 overall record, including a 2-7 mark in conference play.
Players Mentioned
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