Katie Sechrist '23 Recruiting Profile

Billie Jean King once said, "Tennis taught me so many lessons in life.  One of the things it taught me is that every ball that comes to me, I have have a decision to make."  Tennis has been a major part of my life since I was five years old.  From lessons to matches to fun family play, this sport has colored every part of my life.  Tennis has taught me many lessons in my life from disappointment to hard work to persistence.  

I have spent many hours doing drills, practices, and lessons that sometimes result in disappointment and exhilaration in matches and tournaments.  Through all this hard work, I have learned that the disappointments are often more valuable that the wins because it is through disappointment that I have found my biggest growth.  As a student at our local early college high school, I had to try out for high school athletics at the closest traditional high school.  The summer between eighth and ninth grade, I went to every summer practice.  It was hard because not only did I not know the other players, but I also would not be attending school with them in the fall. When tryouts came, I was determined to make the team.  I worked hard and won many challenge matches, but when the roster was posted, I was not on the list.  Not making this team was a pivotal moment in my journey as an athlete.  From moment on, I worked harder than ever often practicing up to 4 hours a day.  The next year, I made the team and have been a Hoggard Viking ever since.  

This type of hard work translates into all that I do--athletics, academics, and beyond.  My goal is to become an athletic trainer because of an injury sustained in tennis.  When I struggled with a math class my sophomore year, I was the first in line to get extra help.  I promise if I play for your team, I will bring the same energy and determination with me.