The Hope College men's and UCLA women's tennis teams have been honored as April's
recipients of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Team Sportsmanship
Award, the ITA announced today.
The ITA National Team Sportsmanship Award is a monthly award that goes to one men's
and one women's team that has exemplified outstanding sportsmanship, character and
ethical conduct in the true spirit of competition and collegiate tennis. The winners
are selected by the ITA Ethics and Infractions Committee from nominations received
from all ITA member institutions (NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community
Colleges). This monthly award began in 2003. In addition to the obvious reasons, sportsmanship
and fair play are considered important in college tennis due to the fact that players
make their own line calls during a match.
Hope College is a NCAA Division III school, coached by Steve Gorno and located in
Holland, MI. In a critical juncture of a doubles match versus Luther College, a Luther
player pursued an out ball and hit it into the net. Coach Gorno saw from a distance
that the ball was out. He asked his players if their shot was in, they replied "no",
and gave Luther the point. Even though Luther ended up winning the match 5-4, the
move displayed by the Hope College squad was definitive of a first class program.
UCLA is a NCAA Division I school, coached by Stella Sampras-Webster and located in
Los Angeles, CA. The UCLA women's squad traveled to Waco, Texas to take on Baylor.
Upon arrival to the match, the courts had gotten wet due to an overnight shower. Stella
and her squad helped dry the courts in the morning and were willing to help in anyway
possible. The match was very intense but their players were fair and represented their
university in a first class manner.
As the governing body of collegiate tennis the ITA promotes both the athletic and
academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which was founded
in 1956 and is based in Skillman, N.J., administers numerous regional and national
championships, the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit presented by the USTA, and the Campbell/ITA
College Tennis Rankings for men's and women's tennis at the NCAA Divisions I, II and
III, NAIA and Junior College levels. The ITA also has a comprehensive awards program
for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership and sportsmanship.
The official ITA website is www.itatennis.com.
The Hope College men's and UCLA women's tennis teams have been honored as April's
recipients of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Team Sportsmanship
Award, the ITA announced today.
The ITA National Team Sportsmanship Award is a monthly award that goes to one men's
and one women's team that has exemplified outstanding sportsmanship, character and
ethical conduct in the true spirit of competition and collegiate tennis. The winners
are selected by the ITA Ethics and Infractions Committee from nominations received
from all ITA member institutions (NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community
Colleges). This monthly award began in 2003. In addition to the obvious reasons, sportsmanship
and fair play are considered important in college tennis due to the fact that players
make their own line calls during a match.
Hope College is a NCAA Division III school, coached by Steve Gorno and located in
Holland, MI. In a critical juncture of a doubles match versus Luther College, a Luther
player pursued an out ball and hit it into the net. Coach Gorno saw from a distance
that the ball was out. He asked his players if their shot was in, they replied "no",
and gave Luther the point. Even though Luther ended up winning the match 5-4, the
move displayed by the Hope College squad was definitive of a first class program.
UCLA is a NCAA Division I school, coached by Stella Sampras-Webster and located in
Los Angeles, CA. The UCLA women's squad traveled to Waco, Texas to take on Baylor.
Upon arrival to the match, the courts had gotten wet due to an overnight shower. Stella
and her squad helped dry the courts in the morning and were willing to help in anyway
possible. The match was very intense but their players were fair and represented their
university in a first class manner.
As the governing body of collegiate tennis the ITA promotes both the athletic and
academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which was founded
in 1956 and is based in Skillman, N.J., administers numerous regional and national
championships, the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit presented by the USTA, and the Campbell/ITA
College Tennis Rankings for men's and women's tennis at the NCAA Divisions I, II and
III, NAIA and Junior College levels. The ITA also has a comprehensive awards program
for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership and sportsmanship.
The official ITA website is www.itatennis.com.