NEW YORK, NY – The 10 national recipients of the ITA Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award, along with the ITA Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award winner and ITA National Players of the Year, were honored by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association in New York City at the national governing body’s ITA Arthur Ashe Jr. Weekend and Awards Luncheon, presented in cooperation with Love Sports.
The ITA Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award recognizes outstanding student-athletes in all five divisions (NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and JUCO) at the regional and national level. This prestigious award, which dates back to 1982, is presented to the men’s and women’s national student-athletes who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership, as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements.
“The ITA Arthur Ashe Jr. Weekend and Awards Luncheon, presented in cooperation with Love Sports, honors these exceptional student-athletes who are champions on and off the court,” said ITA Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Russell. “The ITA would like to thank Love Sports for its support, along with our other event sponsors, who helped make this event possible”.
With the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York, site of Arthur Ashe’s 1968 US Open championship, serving as the host location for the awards luncheon, the student-athletes were treated to a morning of friendly competition on the historic grass courts at West Side Tennis Club. Afterwards, the ITA Awards Luncheon, hosted by ITA CEO Russell, took place.
The following day, the student-athletes participated in the USTA’s annual Arthur Ashe Jr. Kids Day at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The Arthur Ashe Kids Day is the largest single-day grassroots tennis event in the world, with over 30,000 attendees. The ITA Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award winners were assigned specific courts and tasked with a specific on-court leadership role for the children that participated in the event.
