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Date: August 1, 2005
Contact: Bill Sodoma
Tennis player Hughes honored for sportsmanship
WATERVILLE, Maine --- Sara Hughes (South Burlington, Vt.), who graduated from Colby College in May, has been named the New England Small College Athletic Conference's (NESCAC) female nominee for the NCAA Sportsmanship Award.
Hughes is now eligible to earn the NCAA Sportsmanship Award, which will be announced later this summer. The award honors student-athletes who, through their actions in the competitive arena of intercollegiate athletics, have demonstrated one or more of the ideals of sportsmanship, including fairness, civility, honesty, unselfishness, respect and responsibility.
"Sara was just a fair competitor, if anything she gave line calls," Colby tennis coach Michael Morgan said. "She always won with class and took her losses well. The coaches around the league recognize that type of behavior."
Hughes finished her collegiate career as one of the top women's tennis players to ever play at Colby. She earned All-America honors her final three years and was the 2003 Co-NESCAC Player of the Year.
Hughes earned the NESCAC Senior Sportswoman of the Year Award for women's tennis after the conference tournament. She was also given Colby's Patty Valavanis Award for a senior woman student-athlete who has demonstrated the qualities of academic and athletic excellence and personal leadership and sportsmanship that characterized Patty Valavanis's career at Colby.
Hughes was a three-time NESCAC Spring All-Academic award winner.
Hughes and doubles partner Allison Dunn earned All-America honors for finishing the year ranked 10th in Division III in doubles play. Dunn and Hughes also placed third at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Small College Championships in Florida last October. The pair also was runners-up at the ITA New England Championships last fall.
Hughes had a 79-34 overall record the last three years, including 32 wins when she earned Co-NESCAC Player of the Year honors after her sophomore season. Hughes was 29-15 this past year, including a 17-7 record with Dunn in doubles. Hughes finished the year ranked 17th nationally in singles after placing 16th after the 2003-04 season.
