ARTICLE | Excellence On and Off The Court

Diana Anderson--Player of the Year, Senior Scholar-Athlete

Story Patrick Byrne
Photos Wes Fornero

As a coach you would love to have her on your team; as a professor you would love to have her in your classroom; as a friend or roommate you would love to spend time with her; as an opponent you would hate to play her. Gordon College women's tennis star senior Diana Anderson is a standout Gordon College student-athlete. Coach Whitey Davis says, "Diana is an inspirational Christian and an outstanding leader on and off the court."

Anderson has been a star on the Fighting Scots women's tennis team since the beginning of her time at Gordon. As a freshman she was the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Rookie of the Year and an All-Conference Player in doubles tennis as well. Only one award in the conference is higher than Rookie of the Year, and that is Player of the Year; the year Diana got Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year went to her sister, then senior Jen Anderson '04. Diana kept the Conference Player of the Year award in the family for the next three years as she set an outstanding mark of 41 wins and eight losses in singles play, and was never defeated in the conference regular season at 31-0 over four years. Diana was also selected to the All-Conference Team four consecutive years in doubles play as she tallied a 32-9 record overall and 21-3 in the CCC.

In addition to being named Player of the Year in 2006, she was also honored as the Senior-Scholar Athlete. Diana carries a cumulative grade point average of 3.66 and will graduate in May with a degree in elementary education and Spanish. She comes from a family of tennis players and is greatly inspired by her parents, Susan and Wendell Anderson. She says of her family's influence, "My parents have always been there for me. My dad, especially, has coached me since I was big enough to hold a racket."

When asked about her future in the sport, she says, "I would love to continue to be involved in tennis, whether coaching a high school tennis team or eventually a college team. I would also love to teach tennis to kids in hopes they would enjoy it as much as I have. I'm planning to continue playing for fun with my family and friends or in local tournaments and leagues-as long as I'm playing, I'll be happy."

Although admittedly uncertain about her future, Diana is committed to serving the Lord and would enjoy being involved in a diverse community where she could use both her elementary school teaching abilities and her degree in Spanish. "I really want to be involved in mentoring relationships with youth and would love to work in a Spanish-speaking environment, whether in a school, a community or on missions trips," states Anderson. "I'm leaving the door open to whatever opportunities or possibilities might arise in my future."

Patrick Byrne is the sports information director at Gordon. patrick.byrnegordon.edu

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