There’s no ‘love’ for cancer at this national collegiate tennis tournament in Lakewood Ranch
The competition is fierce.
And so are the cancers this college tennis tournament is trying to help beat.
The athletes are dialed in on trying to walk away from the Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club Tennis Center this weekend with bragging rights for winning one of the top collegiate tennis tournaments in the nation — the Dick Vitale Intercollegiate Clay Court Tennis Tournament.
The athletes are looking for a win, but also know that their participation scores a victory in the fight against cancer.
“I’m really honored to be able to play in this kind of tournament, especially for the cause,” said Ellie Kuckelman, a freshman at the University of Nebraska who plays with her twin sister Chloe.
“It’s such a great fundraiser to be raising money for kids with cancer,” Kuckelman said. “I think it’s really awesome that I get to compete for that.”
Chloe Kuckelman said the tournament is a win-win situation for the athletes who get to come to Florida to compete while raising funds for a great cause.
“It’s such a great tournament,” she said. “It’s very well run. so we really enjoy the atmosphere.”
The tournament is free to spectators, but the proceeds raised in the eighth annual tournament goes to V Foundation Cancer Research, a charitable organization seeking to find cures for all forms of cancer, including pediatric cancers.
Greg Durham is a senior at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis Md., and the captain of the Navy tennis team. Durham said it’s a tremendous honor for the Naval Academy cadets to be involved in the fight.
“This is a really great event for us,” Durham said. “It means a lot to us. We’re playing for a lot more than our school. We’re playing for our country and the people that support us.”
Saturday’s action was intense and an enthusiastic crowd gathered around center court to see the Fighting Irish from Notre Dame rally back to beat the Florida Gators in doubles competition 8-7 in one of the first matches Saturday morning.
This weekend’s tournament is the only clay court tournament on the NCAA and ITA calendar this year and features 24 Division I colleges with a 32-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw.
“It was quite a ways to come, but definitely worth the trip,” said redshirt junior Georgie Axon, from Auburn University in Alabama.
Axon said the athletes are supported during the trip by host families in the area, which means it, “feels like family. Everyone has been so helpful and it’s kind of nice to be a part of something bigger than just tennis and our everyday student athlete lives and actually doing something for good.”
If you like tennis, or just solid college competition in general, the tournament features some of the nation’s best young tennis players from some of the best universities around the country. And the action on the court speaks for itself.
The tournament continues on Sunday at the country club, located at 8488 Legacy Blvd., in Lakewood Ranch from 9 a.m. until around 3 p.m.
“The member support and community involvement are like no other,” Paul Lederman previously told the Bradenton Herald. “What a great experience for the players to be in this event — which the top college coaches say is the best college fall event in the country — and for the community to have a chance to see all these incredible athletes.”