From ITA Release
Voted on by a panel of the eight participating head coaches at the 2016 ITA Division III National Men’s Team Indoor Championship, hosted by Case Western Reserve University, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced on Thursday that the University of Chicago is this year’s Steve Wilkinson Team Sportsmanship Award recipient.
"We are very honored and proud to be receive the 2016 ITA Steve Wilkinson Team Sportsmanship Award,” head coach Jay Tee said. “We take great pride in not only competing as hard as we can but also playing the game the right way and representing all that the University of Chicago, the University Athletic Association, and Division III tennis represents. We would also like to congratulate the other teams in this year's field for the outstanding effort and sportsmanship that they also displayed."
The Steve Wilkinson Team Sportsmanship Award, which was introduced in 2015, is dedicated to the memory of Steve Wilkinson, long time Gustavus Adolphus men's head tennis coach and founder of Tennis & Life Camps. The award is presented to the team that has displayed exceptional sportsmanship, character, and ethical conduct in the true spirit of competition and college tennis during the ITA Division III National Men's Team Indoor Championship each year.
The Maroons had an impressive run at the 2016 ITA Indoor Championship making it to the final match for the first time in program history. Despite falling to six-time champion Emory in the championship, Chicago closed out its ITA Indoors run with class and high-level sportsmanship. The Maroons managed to exhibit respectful behavior throughout all four of their matches even when playing in levels of high intensity and knowing a national championship title was on the line. Chicago’s great sportsmanship certainly did not go unnoticed by coaches, fellow players, spectators, and event staff members.
About the ITA
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 comprised of nearly 1,700 men's and women's varsity coaches representing over 1,200 institutions, administers numerous regional and national championships and the ITA College Tennis Rankings for over 20,000 college varsity student-athletes at 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 ITAtennis.com.