FERRIS STATE'S JENNA O'DELL RECEIVES REGIONAL ARTHUR ASHE AWARD
Junior Women's Tennis Player Honored As Leadership & Sportsmanship Winner
 | Ferris State's Jenna O'Dell Was Recognized As An ITA Great Lakes Region Award Winner |
Ferris State University junior women's tennis player Jenna O'Dell (Escanaba) was named the recipient of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) Great Lakes Region Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. The honor was announced in conjunction with the NCAA-II Men's and Women's Tennis Championships, which are currently taking place (May 10-13) in Kansas City, Mo.
The ITA's other Great Lakes Region women's tennis award winners included Senior Player of the Year Sue Rossano of Northwood, Drury's (Mo.) Alejandra Miranda-Sanchez as the Player To Watch recipient and Carolin Rosskothen of Northwood as the Rookie Player of the Year Award winner. Zane Colestock of Northwood received the Wilson/ITA Women's Tennis Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year Award.
The ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award is given annually to a player who has exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements in each of the nation's eight regions. A national winner is then chosen from the group of eight regional honorees. This year's national honor went to the Southeast Region's Tasi Purcell of Rollins (Fla.).
O'Dell, who was named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Women's Tennis Player of the Week once (Oct. 5) this season, compiled a 13-6 overall singles mark along with a 13-9 doubles ledger during the 2005-06 campaign. The 2004-05 FSU Most Improved Player Award recipient compiled a 7-1 record in league singles action and was 10-3 overall in individual dual action this year. Her three-year career record presently stands at 43-21 in singles action and 30-20 in doubles play.
O'Dell teamed with freshman Jennifer Prisner (Lansing/St. John's) to register an 8-2 record at the number three doubles flight this season. The duo, which was 7-1 in league doubles play, was listed 10th in the latest (April 10) Fila Division II Great Lakes Regional Doubles Rankings. O'Dell was also recognized as a 2005-06 GLIAC All-Academic Team honoree.
The 5-7 O'Dell helped the Bulldog women's team make its 11th consecutive and 16th overall NCAA Tournament appearance in 2005-06 under first-year head coach Jing "Amy" Sun. Ferris posted a 10-6 overall record this season, including a second-place 8-1 mark in the GLIAC. FSU also finished as the GLIAC Tournament and NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional runner-up this campaign.
Last season (2004-05), O'Dell compiled a 16-6 singles and 16-7 doubles record while helping lead FSU to the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen. The squad reached the final round of 16 for the second time in four years and the sixth time overall. The Bulldogs finished the 2004-05 season with a 17-3 overall record and earned their fifth regional crown in the last seven years. Ferris, which was ranked as high as 18th nationally last campaign, also placed second in both the GLIAC regular-season and tournament competition during the 2004-05 season.
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