The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Rachel Daniell Named ITA/Arthur Ashe, Jr. Award Winner
5/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- UAB's Rachel Daniell, who just completed her senior season on the Blazer women's tennis team, has been named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association/Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sportsmanship and Leadership Award winner for the ITA Southern Region, it was announced on Tuesday.
Each year, the ITA selects an Arthur Ashe, Jr. Award winner for each of the 12 NCAA Division I regions. The honor goes to deserving individuals who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership, as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements. The 12 honorees are eligible for the national ITA Arthur Ashe, Jr. Award.
"Rachel Daniell continues to rack up the academic and community service awards, and deservedly so," head coach Mark Tjia said. "She is the epitome of excellence in a student-athlete.  She continues to represent the Blazers in such a stellar manner and it would be awesome if she could get recognized for her efforts and achievements on a national stage.  I feel fortunate to have coached her for a year and a half, and also to call her my friend."
Tuesday's announcement is just the latest in a long line of accomplishments for Daniell. The Douglasville, Ga., native boasted an impressive 3.93 GPA in Biology (pre-medicine focus) during her time at UAB. She tied for second on the team this past season in singles wins during dual match play with seven victories. Daniell also had nine doubles triumphs on the year, which was the highest total on the team. 
During her career at UAB, Daniell earned the C-USA Commissioner's All-Academic Medal and placed on the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll during each of her four seasons. She was also a recipient of the C-USA Spring 2014 Spirit of Service Award and placed on the league's All-Academic Team in each of the past three seasons.
Daniell was also UAB's Conference USA SAAC representative. In the community, she was the UAB student-athlete liaison to the Ronald McDonald Charities of Alabama and put in over 100 hours of community service during the 2014-15 academic year alone. In addition, she started a pre-med student-athlete group to help students understand academic requirements.
For more information on the UAB women's tennis team, follow @UABWTennis. For more on all Blazer sports teams, follow @UABAthletics.
