William Jewell College tennis team salutes season accomplishments
Contact: Rob Eisele, 816- 415-7574
April 29, 2009
The 2008-09 William Jewell College Men’s and Women’s Tennis Awards Banquet was held April 28 at the Yates-Gill College Union on the Jewell campus in Liberty, Mo.
On the women’s side, sophomore Nikki Chambers was named the Allison Cobb Most Valuable Player as voted on by her teammates. Chambers tied for the team lead in singles wins with 14 and also paired up with doubles partner Tanya Ratana to go 15-4 in number one doubles and 7-0 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play. She and Ratana won the Small College Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Regional Championships in September. The win sent the doubles duo to national competition in October in Mobile, Ala., where they finished in eighth place. Chambers is currently ranked 40th in nation in singles and 23rd in the nation in doubles.
First-year player Tanya Ratana was honored by her teammates for Newcomer of the Year. Ratana also finished the season with 14 wins, playing in the number two singles slot. She also finished 15-4 at the number one doubles slot with Chambers.
Sophomore Megan Groninger earned the Hardest Worker award by her teammates. Megan spent countless hours outside of practice working on her game. She also was a leader in the weight room and was always one of the top players in conditioning drills at practice.
First-year player Carolyn Klenda was voted by her teammates as the Ann Lewis Most Improved Award. Klenda stepped in to the number three doubles position for the Cardinals this year and her play improved as the season went along.
Senior Sydnee Mela was named the Brittany Goldschmidt Women’s Tennis Sportsmanship winner for the season. Sydnee was a valued player in the number three lineup spot in 2008-09 and displayed a positive attitude throughout the season. Mela went 10-1 in singles play this spring after joining the team on March 23 after the women’s basketball season ended at the NAIA National Tournament.
Head coach Paul Worstell also recognized six individuals who were named National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Scholar Athletes. Those players were senior Ann Lewis, senior Michael Holmes, junior Cody Pflugradt and junior Kyle Lehenbauer. In order to qualify, students must have at least a 3.5 GPA and must be at least a junior in academic standing at their institution.
On the men’s side, senior Michael Holmes was awarded The Chad Thomason Men’s Tennis Hardest Worker award. Holmes, who occupied the number five singles and number two doubles position, worked countless hours on the court to improve his game and even played through a knee injury that required surgery when the season was over.
Sophomore Chad Kirkland was named Most Improved. Kirkland stepped in and became one of Jewell’s better doubles players this season and put in a lot of work outside of practice to improve his game.
Junior Cole Stretch was awarded the Brian Carney Best Sportsmanship award on the men’s team. The award is named after Brain Carney who was a two-time NAIA National Tournament Participant, NAIA Scholar-Athlete, All-American, and All-Conference selection while playing number one singles, number two singles, and number one doubles for Jewell from 1992-96. Carney sponsored this award because it encompasses the real life lessons learned from playing college athletics—upholding the highest ethical standards, practicing humility, working with team members/colleagues toward a common goal, and treating others of similar or different backgrounds with respect. “Cole’s play this season certainly sums up why Brian sponsored this award,” said Worstell. “Cole is an outstanding leader on our team and his attitude on and off the court is one of humility and respect.”
Sophomore Chris Dailey was named the Newcomer of the Year for the men. Dailey finished 8-9 this while playing in the number six singles slot for the Cardinals. Dailey finished tied for second on the team in wins.
Kyle Taylor was named the Charles Morris Men’s Tennis Most Valuable player. The award was sponsored by Brian Carney to honor Coach Morris who was a former men’s tennis coach at Jewell and is a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame. “Coach Morris truly demonstrated leadership and personified excellence through his motto FF-RC-Again (Fight Fiercely, Respect the Conditions, and always come back to play Again the next day),” said Carney. “He will be remembered by all of his former players as a true MVP.” Taylor led the team in wins with 10 and he and junior Cody Pflugradt led the team in doubles wins with 10.
“Both teams had outstanding seasons and accomplished a lot of goals” said Worstell. “I am very blessed to be able to coach such an outstanding group of players.”
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