SKILLMAN, N.J. - The Haverford College men's tennis team was named the winner of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Team Sportsmanship Award for the month of May.
Each month the ITA, the governing body of collegiate tennis, recognizes one men's team and one women's team that has exemplified outstanding sportsmanship, character and ethical conduct in the true spirit of competition and collegiate tennis. All 1,200 of the ITA member institutions are eligible for nomination for the award. Sportsmanship, fair play and integrity--focal points of competition in general -- are especially celebrated in tennis where players make their own line calls during a match.
The head coach of the Fords, Sean Sloane, points out that his squad wants to win everytime out, but of greater importance is competing with respect for "The Code" of tennis, players and coaches from other teams and officials. "The ITA Team Sportsmanship shows that we are on the right path," reflects Sloane.
Haverford went 11-8 overall and 6-3 in the Centennial Conference as it qualified for the conference tournament for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. The fifth-seeded Fords rolled past No. 4 seed Washington College, 5-1, in opening-round action before falling in the semifinals to eventual champion Johns Hopkins University.
The Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens garnered the women's award.