Georgetown College Team Page
The Georgetown College Women’s Tennis team has received commitments from five local high school players to join the Tigers in the fall of 2009, it was announced today. Haleigh Fellows (Paducah, KY/Lone Oak), Haley Hart (Stanford, KY/Lincoln County), Claire Spradlin (Russell, KY/Russel), Amanda Thompson (Henderson, KY/Henderson), and Kaitlyn Thompson (Henderson, KY/Henderson) have all decided to continue their playing careers at Georgetown College.
Fellows, a two star recruit, is a member of traditional power high school Lone Oak. Currently ranked #17 in Kentucky, she reached the round of 16 at the 2008 KHSAA State Tournament, where she lost to future teammate Spradlin. She defeated the #7 seed in the first round. “Haleigh’s talent is severely under represented by her ranking,” said Georgetown Head Coach Kevin Calhoun. “She hasn’t played the tournament schedule many girls do, but she can compete at the highest levels in Kentucky. Every girl from Lone Oak who plays for Larry Heflin knows the game. Haleigh will be a huge factor in the NAIA.”
Hart, also a two star recruit, comes from Stanford, KY. The eighth seed in the 2008 KHSAA tournament, she reached the quarterfinals. She is currently ranked #3 in Kentucky in the under 18 age group. “Haley is a fantastic player, student, and leader,” said Calhoun. “She is going to have amazing successes here. In many ways, Haley is the cornerstone to this class- she gives it a depth that is necessary to compete at the top of the NAIA.”
Spradlin is a three star recruit ranked #4 in Kentucky in under 18. After a round of 16 win against Fellows in the 2008 KHSAA State Tournament, she fell in the quarterfinals. Spradlin has represented Kentucky in the Junior Fed Cup competition, put on by the USTA Southern Section, which selects three girls from each age group per state. “I have coached one three star recruit, Adrienne Bartlett, and she was All American as a freshman,” said Calhoun. “I am excited that Claire has chosen to be a Tiger, and she has the potential to be an All-American here as well.”
Amanda Thompson, while not participating in junior USTA tournaments, has competed for a top flight high school program. She has qualified for the KHSAA tournament in each of her three previous years of high school competition, reaching the round of 16 in doubles in 2008. “Amanda is a player whose potential has yet to be approached,” said Calhoun. “She is athletic and powerful, and when she concentrates on one sport in college her technique and ability will drastically improve.”
Kaitlyn Thompson, another three star recruit, is currently ranked #22 in Kentucky. She has chosen to concentrate on tournaments outside of high school tennis for her junior and senior years. “Kaitlyn is one of the most talented high school seniors I have signed,” said Calhoun. “She is one of the three or four best seniors in Kentucky, but was overlooked due to her lack of tournament play. She is All Conference and All American talent, as are all the members of this class.”
Calhoun is excited about the new class. “This class is deep, talented, and they are outstanding young women. They will form the foundation of a top 25 NAIA team for the next four years. I cannot wait to get them here to begin practices.”
