SKILLMAN, N.J. - The Tufts women's tennis team has been honored as March's recipients of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Team Sportsmanship Award, the ITA announced.
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.
The Tufts University team, coached by Kate Bayard, earned opponents' praise for consistently demonstrating respect for themselves, their coach and their teammates through their play. They also go out of their way to show their appreciation towards their opponents and the host site. Each time they step on the court, the team has developed a reputation for showing an appreciation and love for the sport they participate in.
"Our team truly understands the importance of having a supportive and positive environment," said Bayard, the 2009 USTA New England College Coach of the Year.. "We hold each other accountable every moment to maintaining this priority. The choice to display good sportsmanship is part of our mindset."
As the governing body of collegiate tennis, the ITA promotes both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which is compromised of nearly 1,700 men's and women's varsity coaches representing over 1,200 institutions, administers numerous regional and national championships and the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings for over 15,000 college varsity student-athletes 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 Web site is www.itatennis.com.