Athletics: Women's Tennis 2007-08

The tennis program at William Jewell College will turn 100 years old in 2008. William Jewell is proud of the long standing tradition of tennis on the hill. In fact, WJC’s first woman athlete was a tennis player. Carlene Basore-Petersen ‘67 actually played with the men’s team and played number one for the men, earning four letters. She was inducted into the William Jewell Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.

In recent years, the women’s team has consistently been ranked in the top 25 of the NAIA and has qualified for national competition three out of the last five years. Jewell has qualified for the International Tennis Association Small College National Tournament in the fall for the last four years and has also won the Heart of America Athletic Conference five out of the last six years. The team is currently led by former William Jewell player and 1994 graduate, Paul Worstell. He is assisted by Chad Thomason, another former player and graduate from Jewell.

The women’s tennis squad also excels in the classroom at WJC. The team has been an ITA All-Academic team for the last three years. In addition, in the 2005-2006 season, William Jewell had the distinction of placing eight players on the Scholar Athlete list- the most of any NAIA team. Only one other college program, NCAA DI Western Michigan University, placed more players than Jewell.