|
|
Sameer Kumar (Carmel, IN)
© James Maher
|
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., September 11, 2015 – The USTA has announced that Stanford University tennis players and college freshmen Sameer Kumar and Kimberly Yee have been named the winners of the 2015 USTA National Junior Scholar Athlete Award. The announcement was made at the USTA Semi-Annual meeting at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City.
“Both Kumar and Kimberly have been tremendous standouts both on the court in junior tennis, as well as in the classroom,” said Kurt Kamperman, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA. “We applaud their hard work and dedication should be applauded and we wish them the best of luck as they both continue their studies at Stanford.”
This is the fourth year the USTA has honored national junior winners of a scholar-athletes. To qualify, students must have an unweighted GPA of 3.75 on a 4.0 scale and demonstrate that tennis is the sport for education, advancement and character development. A written essay, as well as leadership and sportsmanship, were also considered.
Kumar is from Carmel, Ind., and recently competed at the US Open Junior Championships. Kumar was a National Merit Finalist and got a perfect 800 on his SAT in math. He won the National Winter Championships, the Easter Bowl in the Boys’ 16s, and he was also a semifinalist at USTA National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich., and the Metropolia Orange Bowl.
Kumar’s coach Bryan Smith said: “Sameer gives back on a daily basis to our younger players, mentoring them and helping out with drills and giving them insight into the ups and downs of playing tennis at the highest level.”
Yee is a Las Vegas native who has won four national titles and more than 35 sectional titles. She was honored last year at the International Tennis Hall of Fame with the Bill Talbert Junior Sportsmanship Award.
Tim Blenkiron is Yee’s longtime coach. “I have been working with Kimberly for over 15 years,” Blenkiron said. “Through her own pursuit of excellence and passion for helping others, Kimberly has inspired all of the young people she mentors to put academics, leadership and kindness first.”