- February 2015
Personal Statement
My name is Kevin Murphy and I am a 6’8” freshman in college. I have previously gone through the NCSA recruiting process. I am currently playing collegiate tennis at Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa. Two months ago, our athletic director announced that the men’s tennis team will be discontinued following the completion of the 2015 spring season. My team did very well in our fall season, winning our two head-to-head matches. We also performed well in in team tournaments. Our fall season consisted of a lot of traveling across the Midwest. I played 6 singles and 3 doubles for our matches and competed at those positions. My doubles partner was a 6’5” sophomore from the Netherlands. We posed a major threat in our doubles play. Our height and quickness played a big role in our success. My success in singles was partly due to the high level of play I faced day in and day out in practice. At a tournament that Ashford hosted, I found myself climbing through the bracket and meeting my teammate in the championship. Playing on bottom of the order was new for me this season. In high school, I earned the role of playing number one singles for my team. I was selected to the first-team in the city league, (Spokane, Washington) in my high school senior year.
I am pursuing a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. My first semester of college went rather well. I posted a 3.12 grade point average. I was able to do well in my first semester due in large part to the excellent level of education provided in my high school. My high school, Gonzaga Preparatory, pushed me to do my very best. With that fire beneath my feet, I was able to achieve a 3.23 grade point average in high school. My freshman year of college has been very busy, but I have found ways to tune out the distractions and focus on my studies and on tennis. I am taking a higher credit load this second semester, and with a busy spring season, I am confident of my ability to stay focused on and off the court.
