From the Sports Information Department
Huntingdon College

April 27, 2009

Jackson Named GSAC Freshman of the Year; Six Lady Hawks Recognized On Conference's Postseason Awards List

LAGRANGE, Ga. - Several members of the Huntingdon women’s tennis team were recognized at the Great South Athletic Conference Tennis Tournament this weekend for earning All-Conference, All-Freshman and All-Academic honors, led by newcomer Madison Jackson being named the Conference Freshman of the Year.

Jackson, a freshman from Dothan, Ala., also earned All-Conference and All-Freshman accolades from the GSAC. Joining her on the All-Conference team was junior Riley Prescott, sophomore Kristi McDaniel and freshman Christian Vick. Jackson, Vick, Kayla Heetland and Jaclyn Crossman were named the league’s All-Freshman Team.

In her first season with the Lady Hawks, Jackson recorded a 9-4 overall singles record, playing primarily at the No. 2 position. At the second spot, Jackson posted an 8-3 record, including a perfect 5-0 in GSAC play. She also finished 11-4 in doubles, playing both at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions.

Prescott, a three-time All-Conference performer from Columbus, Ga., finished the season with just a 5-7 overall singles record after playing at the top spot for the Lady Hawks in all 12 of her matches. However, she finished 4-1 in league play, with her lone loss coming to GSAC Player of the Year Morgan Douglas of Maryville. Prescott also finished 7-9 in doubles matches, all of which were played at the No. 1 position.

McDaniel is also a repeat member of the GSAC All-Conference team, after earning the honors as a freshman last season. The Huntsville native finished with an 8-5 overall singles record, including an impressive 8-2 mark at the No. 3 position. In doubles play, she was even better, sporting a 12-5 record, playing at the top two positions.

Vick, a Sylacauga native, also had an impact for the Lady Hawks in both singles and doubles play. Playing primarily at the No. 4 singles position, Vick recorded a 7-7 singles mark, while also posting five wins in doubles play, all played in one of the top two spots.

Significant contributors for the Lady Hawks in their first season, Heetland and Crossman each played a key role in both singles and doubles play. Heetland, a native of Marietta, Ga., finished the season with a 4-4 singles record and an 8-2 doubles record, while Crossman, who is from Ocean City, N.J., posted a 5-6 mark in singles matches and won 7-of-10 doubles matches.

In addition to its on-court awards, the GSAC also recognized its All-Academic Team. For the second straight season, Prescott garnered All-Academic honors, while McDaniel was recognized for the first time. In order to be considered for the all-academic team, a player must be classified as a sophomore or higher and maintain a grade point average of 3.25 or better.

The Lady Hawks end the season with an 11-5 overall record, falling the Great South Athletic Conference Tournament finals to Agnes Scott. Huntingdon has won 22 of its last 23 matches against league opponents and advanced the NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Tournament in 2007 and 2008.