TEMPE, Ariz. – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced Tuesday that Skidmore College women's tennis senior Katherine Almquist was selected as the winner of the National Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award.
 
The award recognizes outstanding student-athletes in all five divisions (NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, NAIA, and JUCO) at the regional and national level. Almquist was selected as the Northeast Region winner last week, advancing for national consideration.
 
The Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award, which dates back to 1982, is presented to the men's and women's national student-athletes who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership, as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements. Last week, Almquist was one of four regional winners of the award under Division III joining Gabi Moss (Atlantic-Washington & Lee University), Caitlyn Hanulikova (Central, Augustana College), and Sena Selby (West-Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges).
 
Katherine always puts others and the team before herself. She is very good at identifying if something or someone is off and is quick to remedy it with a conversation or a simple check-in. She is also very good at communicating with coaching staff to make aware of anything that's going on, to get advice, and to make sure the culture on the team is the best it can be. She also leads by example by working hard every day, even when she's not feeling 100 percent. She is willing to hold herself responsible if she feels that she can do better, which is often from over-analyzing herself to a fault.
 
On the court, Almquist has a 41-24 career singles record, playing at the No. 1 through 5 singles positions. She was the 2021 ITA Northeast Regional semifinalist and is has three All-Conference honors in singles. She has a 3.5 GPA, majoring in environmental science and minoring in international affairs and Spanish. She plans to continue her studies in a master's program at Northwestern University in the fall.
 
"So incredibly proud of Katherine," said Skidmore head coach Curt Speerschneider. "Her leadership has had such a huge impact on the Skidmore tennis team, but she's been an even more valuable member of the Skidmore community. She understands her role in making our campus, and the world, a better place. She is one of the few who will act on her morals and work tirelessly to make them a reality, whether it be on a personal or global level. It's people like Katherine who make a true difference in our communities. I couldn't be prouder to have her a part of the team here the last four years and can't wait to see what she can accomplish in the future."
 
Almquist's award is Skidmore's sixth all-time national ITA award and first since Risa Fukushige won he ITA Most Improved Senior Award in 2021. In 2017, Kai Yuen was the Senior Player of the Year, and the team won the Community Service Award. Amy Wachenheim was the Player to Watch in 1999, Jamie Levine was the Senior Player of the Year in 1998, and Jeffrey Segrave won the Coach of the Year Award in 1996.