Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Welcome Whit Women of 2019!

It's that time of year, campus is starting to buzz - travel is happening and orientation is around the corner.  I've never been one for formal announcements of our recruiting classes, so this is as close as I'll get right now.  This year, we bring in a very talented (ranked #18 nationally by tennisrecruiting.net) but also really well rounded class.

Jana Klages-Miller, Whitman 2019
Leading the way on paper, is our first 3 star recruit (tennisrecruiting.net) since Courtney, Jana Klages-Miller.  Attending Reynolds high school in North Carolina, Jana competed the strong Southern Section of USTA tennis.  Her results have been great and reflect her intense focus and competitiveness.  It's really the combination of clear direct focus on tennis and school combined with a silly and fun sense of humor about everything else that really drew me to Jana.  You'll also see my recruiting style reflected in this class; while I certainly do my homework on their tennis, we don't have the budget to travel outside of the Northwest for recruiting, so we're lucky to have results, great coach recommendations and mostly the personality of each recruit to go by.  You can read more about Jana's personality is that perfect combination of hard work and fun that will make her a force to be reckoned with right away while her desire and commitment to keep growing her game are something I'm excited to be a part of for the next four years.  Another thing Jana has is a twin! Unfortunately, Nora isn't as smitten with tennis as Jana but don't shed a tear for her as she explores college from a different viewpoint at St. Andrew's in Scotland.

Mary Hill, Whitman 2019, at her ceremonial signing day.
She's with her dad Mark (left) and high school coach Mike Shaw.
Mary Hill is a 2 star recruit from Des Moines, IA, but in Universal tennis ratings, she is our top recruit.  Mary's results in the Missouri Valley Section show that she can play consistently at a level that should be able to help our lineup right away.  Perhaps what is better is that she has loads of untapped potential and a feel for the game that either comes naturally or takes years and years to teach. She's been successful in school at Roosevelt High, taking part of her curriculum through their honors program and part on the main campus in Des Moines.  I love the calm in Mary's game.  "Quiet Hands" and dynamic balance are a coaches dream and allow her to do almost anything she wants with the ball.  These play a huge part in her doubles success, winning back to back state high school doubles championships.  As calm as she is on the outside, there is a fire and excitement in Mary that is primed to explode as we all find out just how great she can be.

Cello Lockwood, Whitman 2019
More known to me is our local recruit, Caroline (Cello) Lockwood.  Cello was an instant hit on campus.  I wanted to hang out with her all day, but the team beat me to it and her ease on campus and with the returners will allow her to be a leader on and off the court from day one.  Cello brings a ton of confidence, is a terrific competitor and has a big game that she knows how to control.  Like Mary and Jana, Cello could be one of our best players right away, she's another 2 star recruit but has wins over players who are among the best in DIII.   Cello is such an athlete and competitor that it is impossible to gauge her ceiling as a tennis player and as a sparkplug for how we compete as a team.  She's the kind of person you just want to be around, her game is explosive and fluid and I can't wait to spend more time on court (and off) with her.  To learn more about Cello, here is an essay she wrote to win a World Team Tennis Leadership Scholarship.



Linqi (Lori) Sheng, Whitman 2019
Finally, our wild card is Linqi (Lori) Sheng.  We're still not sure how well we'll pronounce her name, so she may go by her English name Lori, but Linqi is the first recruited player for our program from China (and maybe the first in Whitman athletics history).  She has a beautiful game with a smoothness and tactical awareness of her favorite player, Roger Federer.  Her personality matches up with her tennis which in our sport where you can't hide from yourself so if you fight your nature, you're in trouble.  I say she's a wild card because there is no competitive reference for me from the players she trained and played with in Qingdao, China to who we have here in the US.  But, as with our other incoming players, her personality, goals and desire to do the right things to have an amazing college tennis experience made her one of those players you "have to have" on your team.  The fact that she is a baller doesn't hurt.  She's actually traveling right now with her parents up the west coast to see much of this part of America before landing in Walla Walla next week.  We can't wait to welcome our new international player and enjoy her individual personality, but also her perspective on the world that will undoubtedly be different than everyone's in a way where we can all learn from and enrich each other.
Okay, how do you tell without meeting someone in person they are perfect for you program.  Let's start with the grades and test scores to get into Whitman; add in school til 5pm so late practices every day, sprinkle on the most sparkling positive personality (thank you Skype) seeking every adventure and opportunity to grow and finish with a hip hop dance group.  I rest my case.



This is a class with talent, experience competing at a really high level, and most of all the balance of diverse personalities who all share a common love of team and tennis as an integral part of their college education.  I can't wait to start practice the first week of September and get to know everyone even more!

Welcome Linqi, Mary, Cello and Jana and your families;

 you are the present and future of Whitman tennis and are now part of our growing family!

-Coach John