GREENSBORO, N.C. – Guilford College’s Ben Nelson (Charlotte, N.C./Homeschooled) won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s (ODAC) Men’s Tennis Player of the Week and sophomore Natalie Sutton (Chapel Hill, N.C./Chapel Hill) collected her first Guilford Student-Athlete of the Week Award Monday. The ODAC prize is determined by the league office, while the Guilford honor is presented weekly by the school’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Nelson, a junior, went 3-0 in singles play and 2-1 in doubles during Guilford’s three league wins last week. He won all three sixth-singles contests, including the decisive match in the Quakers’ 5-4 home win over league-rival Emory & Henry College Apr. 1. The 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 victory lifted Guilford past the Wasps into second place in the ODAC standings and marked the Quakers’ school-record seventh league win of the year. Earlier in the week, Nelson upended former Guilford teammate Joe Cox, who now plays for Randolph-Macon College, in three sets. Nelson also recorded a straight-set triumph over his rival from Hampden-Sydney College in the Quakers’ 7-2 decision Mar. 25. He also teamed with Charlie Smith to win two of three third-doubles tilts last week.
Nelson has a 6-5 overall singles record, playing mostly in the number-six position. He is 8-4 at third doubles with two different partners and has helped coach Dave McCain’s team to a 10-6 overall record (7-1 ODAC), the program’s best since 2008. The Quakers play at league-rival Bridgewater College April 14 in their regular-season finale.
Sutton, who plays number-two singles and first doubles for the Quakers, lost only six points in three singles matches last week, winning all three bouts in straight sets. She also teamed with Kim Kleimeier to win doubles matches against Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC)-foes Randolph-Macon College and Sweet Briar College. The sophomore captain helped the Quakers extend their winning streak to six, the program’s longest since 1996.
Sutton has a 6-13 overall singles record and has played in each of the top four flights this year. She and Kleimeier are 8-5 on the year in doubles and had a five-match winning streak snapped in a loss to Emory & Henry Apr. 1. Her overall doubles mark is 9-10.
McCain’s Quakers are 9-7 on the year, 6-3 in the ODAC. Guilford concludes the regular season April 14 in a rescheduled road match with Bridgewater.
The Student-Athlete of the Week Award is presented by Guilford’s SAAC, which is comprised of representatives from each of the school’s 20 varsity teams. The group meets regularly to discuss the state of Guilford Athletics and seeks to build community among Guilford’s student-athletes and non-student-athletes. Recent Guilford SAAC activities include cancer awareness promotions, canned-food drives, volunteer assistance with the North Carolina Special Olympics and tutoring at the New Garden Friends School.