WCU women’s tennis wins national sportsmanship award

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announces the selection of William Carey University as the winner of the 2024 ITA NAIA Women’s Team Sportsmanship Award.

This award is presented each year to the team that displays exceptional sportsmanship, character, and ethical conduct during the ITA NAIA National Team Indoor Championships. This year’s championship tournament was held in early February. The ITA announced its sportsmanship winners on Feb. 13.

“We are proud of all of our sports teams and their huge accomplishments on the field, but we value their contribution as citizens even more. Not only have these women been recognized in the nation for their character, but they have posted the highest GPA of all of our teams on campus with a GPA close to 3.9. We applaud them and Coach Lux for their high standards,” said WCU President Dr. Ben Burnett.

WCU Head Tennis Coach Mark Lux said the ITA and host school, William Woods University, did an amazing job organizing the national championships – and that everyone showed great sportsmanship and deserved to win the award.

“Our team strives for excellence on and off the court. We value how we treat each other within the team – but also how we treat those around us. We want to impact the lives around us in a positive, humble way,” Lux said.

“The team understands that it’s a privilege to be a student-athlete. They are thankful for the opportunity to pursue a degree while continuing a passion for playing tennis. We’re honored by the award given by the ITA and coaches as it reflects our values as a team and university.”

At the tournament, the WCU Crusaders faced off against Southeastern University (L – 4-1), St. Thomas University (L – 4-2), and Ave Maria University (W – 4-0).

Last year, WCU women’s tennis saw a 12-10 overall record, a run through the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament to claim their fourth championship, an appearance in the quarterfinals of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ national championships, SSAC Newcomer of the Year and Player of the Year awards, and four SSAC All-Conference selections.

In the ITA Championships, WCU Women’s Tennis captured its first regional championship in 2022 and followed it up with another championship in 2023. At the ITA Cup Finals in Rome, Ga., they earned a fifth-place finish.