Wilson stays undefeated in PAC play

cabrini athletic department

Carolyn Wilson didn’t want any surprises to interfere with her senior performance at the 2007 Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Championships. After two consecutive undefeated seasons and a PAC player-of-the-year nomination at stake, it seemed only natural to read up on the competition she would face in the final tournament of her senior year.

Her navigation paid off with a surprise. Wilson, a senior secondary education major, received the player-of-the-year honor after helping lead the Cavaliers to their fourth successive PAC team championship in the 2007 season. Combine that with a captain position on the team while maintaining a 3.7 grade point average and it’s hard not to be jealous.

Wilson has earned her title after four years of balancing 20 credit semesters with a grueling tennis career.

“We practice for three hours a day and have about two matches per week in season, so it’s a lot to handle,” Wilson explained when asked how she was able to uphold such an impressive GPA with the demands of a captain position on a winning tennis team. “Home matches are usually six hours long and away matches take at least nine. I put a lot of pressure on myself and think about a match all day at school. I still get so nervous that by the time I step on the court for warm ups I am already mentally exhausted.”

But Wilson’s performance on the court shows no signs of fatigue. She earned first team honors at the PAC Individual Championships on Saturday, Oct. 27 with both singles and doubles victories.

“I’m really proud of our undefeated record ,” Wilson said. “It shows how much depth we have as a team and how far we have come in just the four years I have played for Cabrini. We are all really close and motivate each other to do well, which leads to more wins as a team.”

Wilson will have one more opportunity to show her skills next spring when the Cavalier’s compete in the NCAA Championships in May 2008. This will be the second year the team attends the invitation only tournament, which is scheduled to take place in New York.