SKILLMAN, N.J. – Stephen Bacala of Louisiana State and Jessica Adler of Dartmouth have been selected as the 2009 Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Internship Award Program winners, the ITA announced today.
The Wilson/ITA Internship Award Program recognizes individuals who promote the game of tennis at the collegiate level by devoting consistent time and effort to promotional activities and who support and bring awareness to either their school program or to the sport as a whole. Two categories of collegiate promoters have been established: Varsity Team Managers and Varsity Student-Athletes. One individual from each category – Bacala and Adler, respectively – have been selected to receive a paid summer internship at Wilson’s global headquarters in Chicago, Ill.
Stephen Bacala, the winner of the 2009 Wilson/ITA National Promoter of the Year for a Varsity Team Manager, is an integral part of Louisiana State University varsity tennis. A senior majoring in Business Management, Stephen has served as Manager for the LSU men’s tennis team for five years, supporting the team through not only his job as manager, but added spirit and enthusiasm for the program. Bacala developed an inventory system which reduced waste and loss while allocating the annual equipment budget. He has also served as a summer camp counselor for the Tiger Tennis Camps as well a National Junior Tennis League instructor.
Jessica Adler, a junior at Dartmouth College, is the 2009 Wilson/ITA National Student-Athlete Promoter of the Year. A 2008 Academic All-Ivy selection, Jessica is majoring in Psychology and Brain Sciences. As captain of the Dartmouth women’s varsity tennis team, her enthusiasm has inspired the community, resulting in a doubling of attendance. One such instance was her creation and organization of a “Pink-Out” to raise breast cancer awareness. Adler is one of the leaders of Big Green Readers, a group of student-athletes that teaches reading to local schools as well as a member of the NCAA Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
“Congratulations to Stephen, Jessica and all of our nominees,” said David Benjamin, Executive Director of the ITA. “This unique Wilson/ITA Awards Program presents a wonderful opportunity for students to be recognized for their promotional efforts of their varsity tennis programs and tennis in general. Both Stephen and Jessica have been outstanding in their efforts to promote collegiate tennis, and this award will offer them a special opportunity to experience intern positions this summer with Wilson Sporting Goods, a leader in the tennis industry.”
“Wilson joins the ITA in congratulating Stephen and Jessica and we are very excited to have them join us this summer at our Global headquarters in Chicago,” said Cory Springer, Wilson’s Global Business Director-Performance Rackets
As the governing body of collegiate tennis the ITA promotes both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which was founded in 1956 and is based in Skillman, N.J., administers numerous regional and national championships, the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit presented by the USTA, and the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings for men’s and women’s tennis 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 website is www.itatennis.com.
