Jennifer Kerr earns Evelyn Houseman Sportsmanship Award

First-year Columbia women’s tennis player Jennifer Kerr, a San Dieguito Academy graduate, was named the recipient of the 2018 Evelyn Houseman Lifetime Junior Sportsmanship Award, announced in January by the Southern California Tennis Association (SCTA). Kerr was presented with the honor at the SCTA banquet held on Feb. 5 at UCLA’s Los Angeles Tennis Center Straus Clubhouse.

The distinguished award is the highest honor a junior player can receive from the SCTA. The honor is given to an individual who, throughout his or her junior tennis career, has displayed exemplary conduct, outstanding sportsmanship and excellence, honesty and integrity while participating in the programs of the SCTA and the United States Tennis Association. For receiving the award, Kerr will be given a lifetime membership to the USTA. Previous award-winners include Sam Querrey, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan.

“We are very proud of Jennifer for receiving this award,” Columbia Head Coach Ilene Weintraub said. “She has been an integral part of our team’s success in just a short time. Jennifer works extremely hard and is determined to play well every time she steps on the court. She also has a good perspective on the game which makes her incredibly mentally tough under pressure. She definitely earned this award as she always approaches the game with fairness, courage, and respect for her opponents, teammates and coaches.

A Carlsbad native, Kerr, as of Feb. 14, owns an 11-6 record as primarily Columbia’s No. 2 singles player. She is currently on a two-match win streak and has won seven of her last 10 matches.

Kerr concluded her prep career ranked No. 20 nationally by tennisrecuiting.net and No. 4 in California in her class. She finished with a 43-17 overall record and 16-7 record vs. other 5-star players.

--Columbia University Athletics press release (www.gocolumbialions.com).