Katherine O'Connor '17 Recruiting Profile

My name is Katherine O’Connor and I am a junior at West De Pere High School in De Pere, WI. I started out my freshman year playing in the number 2 singles spot on our highly ranked tennis team. My sophomore year, I continually excelled in this position with a record of 26-1. I moved up to the number 1 spot my junior year, facing tougher competition and still completed my season with a record of 21-7. I have been playing number one singles into my senior year and I am facing harder schools, which give me better matches. Although singles is my primary focus, I also have played some high school matches and USTA tournaments of doubles. I am a strong baseliner with consistent ground strokes. With my mental toughness on the court, I find it easy to discover my opponent’s weakness and exploit them during my matches. This has led me to become first team all-conference two years in a row at both 2 and 1 singles. It is a goal of mine to continue to play the game I love after high school.

I strive to be a well-rounded student athlete and make academics my top priority. With both having graduate degrees, my parents have taught me that school is of the most importance. I have taken many AP, honors, and college credit classes and maintained a GPA of 4.07 through the beginning of my senior year. I balance my time between tennis, school, and the numerous extra-curriculars I am involved with and  hold a leadership position in most of them. I will continue to put in the work to improve my academics and course load throughout the rest of high school.

I believe that I will be an asset to a collegiate tennis program because I have the determination, leadership qualities, attitude and skill to positively influence a team. Through my years of tennis lessons and teams, both in high school and at my club, I have created a close bond with my coaches and teammates. I believe that these relationships lead to a more successful team. I continually improve my game through all feedback from my teammates, coaches, and superiors, and am striving for both positive and negative responses. I have a strong work ethic both on and off the court and show great respect to my peers and coaches. My collegiate goals are to attend a school where I can have success both on the court and in the classroom. My athleticism, academics and characteristics I possess make me both a great person and great recruit for any collegiate tennis team.