Gustavus Adolphus' Bryan, ABAC's Lalewicz receive
James O' Hara Sargent Sportsmanship Awards
MOBILE, Ala. – Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) senior Andy Bryan and Abraham Baldwin (Ga.) freshman Monica Lalewicz received the 2007 James O' Hara Sargent Sportsmanship Awards presented by Rolex Watch USA Saturday at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Small College Tennis Championships presented by Outback Steakhouse and the USTA.
The James O' Hara Sargent Sportsmanship Awards go to players who display outstanding sportsmanship and exemplify the spirit of college tennis during the course of the ITA National Small College Championships hosted by the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center in Mobile. The award is given in memory of Jim Sargent, former Media Manager for Rolex Watch USA, who was involved in a fatal car accident in 2000. He was a great friend of college tennis, an ITA All American who competed with outstanding success and sportsmanship at Lynchburg College, and afterwards continued as a special partner to the ITA in his role with Rolex.
In addition to displaying outstanding sportsmanship, Bryan, who is from Edina, Minn., and Lalewicz, who is from Canada, both turned in strong performances this week. Bryan reached the NCAA Division III men's singles final and Lalewicz captured the Junior/Community College women's singles title today.
This event, administered by the ITA, dates back to 1986 and determines national champions for NCAA Divisions II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College men's and women's singles and doubles during the first two-and-a-half days of play. Those champions then compete to become the overall national small college champs (for all divisions) on October 13-14 in the ITA "Super Bowl" of Small College Tennis. Each small college division features eight singles players and eight doubles teams who earned spots into this national event by winning their respective Wilson/ITA Regional Championships held over the past three weeks throughout the country. All told, nearly 5,000 student-athletes competed in 61 regional tournaments to earn spots in the national event.