Sarah D'Elia '09 of the women's tennis team was honored with the Lindsay Morehouse award last weekend, closing the fall season with a bang after the Polar Bears fought hard in the New England Women's Invitational Tennis Tournament (NEWITT) at Amherst.
D'Elia and Brett Davis '10 played together in the A-Flight bracket and reached the quarterfinals, where Amherst defeated them. Rachel Waldman '09 and Emily Lombardi '12 also competed in the A-Flight and made it to the quarterfinals, ultimately losing to Wellesley. Stephanie Langer '11 and Hannah Hoerner '12 reached quarterfinals in the B-Flight bracket.
The team played in the tournament's inaugural "Fed Cup" format, where players grouped into teams of two and competed in both singles and doubles matches.
But the women seemed more focused on D'Elia's achievements than their performance in the tournament.
"The most rewarding part of the weekend was when Sarah won the Lindsay Morehouse award," Davis said. "I had a good feeling she would receive it because she really contains all the endearing qualities the recipient should have."
"Sarah is one of the least selfish people I know and always looks out for the interest of her teammates, friends, and family," Davis said. "However, when she gets on the court, she is a great competitor who manages to have fun while playing."
D'Elia expressed her appreciation after the tournament.
"I was very surprised to win the award," she said. "It felt good to be acknowledged for something not based solely on success in tennis, but recognized character on and off the court."
The award memorializes Lindsay Morehouse, Williams Class of 2000, who died in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and her positive impact on New England tennis. It is given every year to the player who demonstrates the sportsmanship, admirable character, and work ethic that Lindsay exhibited in her life.
But the glory this fall was not solely reserved for veterans; the season provided opportunity for first-year talent to shine.
"We saw a lot of good things out of both of our freshman [Lombardi and Hoerner] who came up with some big wins in the fall," Davis said.
"I think the fall was a great building season for the spring," D'Elia said.
The Polar Bears will focus on maintaining their level of fitness in between seasons.
"During the off-season, the team is motivated to maintain our tennis skills as well as improving our conditioning with speed and weight training," Langer said. "After these matches, we know what we need to do to improve so that we can beat these teams when we face them in the spring."