South Carolina freshmen tennis star Sarah Hamner recently etched her name in the school’s record book by becoming the first Gamecock to win the ITA All-American National Championship title. The match took place Oct. 10 in Charleston.
The No. 1 newcomer, Hamner downed No. 12 Alexa Noel of Iowa in the finals 6-0, 3-6, and led 5-2 in the third set before Noel pulled out due to injury.
"Sarah accomplished something extraordinary this week,” South Carolina coach Kevin Epley told Gamecocksonline.com. “To win three matches in the qualifying rounds and then march through five matches against the best players in the nation as a freshman is an extraordinarily difficult feat."
Epley said Hamner’s resolve was as big a part of her success as anything.
"She kept her head about her the whole week and matured as a player throughout the tournament,” he said. “She is a true competitor with a laser-like focus on winning and no moment is too big for her. We are all very proud of her and are looking forward to what's ahead for her and the team this year."
In addition to making school history, Hamner became just the fourth SEC player to win the tournament, with the last being Vanderbilt’s Fernanda Conteras.
The Gamecocks are back in action this month at the ITA Carolina Regionals in Winston-Salem N.C. from Oct. 21-25.
Alerts Sign-up