ITA Releases Congratulatory Video to Daniel Park for Ann Lebedeff Award

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Some of the biggest names in tennis were among those to congratulate Daniel Park of CMS men's tennis for winning the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award in a video which the ITA released this week.

Among those extending their congratulations were two former No. 1 ranked players in the world, Billie Jean King, who endowed the Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award, and Chris Evert. Also offering her accolades was Lebedeff herself, who served as the head women's tennis coach at Cal Poly Pomona and Pomona-Pitzer during her storied collegiate career. 

The Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award is in its third year and is chosen from a pool of nominees from all three NCAA divisions representing both genders. It was created to honor a recent college graduate who played college tennis and demonstrated excellence on and off the court, leadership on his or her team, as well as on his or her college campus and in his or her community.  Previous winners were Nithya Kanagasegar of Case Western Reserve (2018) and Drew Akins of Duquesne (2019). 

Off the court, Park graduated from Claremont McKenna with a degree in science and management, earning a perfect 4.0 GPA during his senior year. He partnered with RxAll to address the counterfeit drug epidemic in Nigeria and has volunteered with Pomona Promise to help prepare food for the homeless. He has also regularly been part of the CMS contingent which teaches physical education classes at nearby Mountain View Elementary School.

As a member of the Stags, Park was a two-year co-captain, twice helping CMS reach the NCAA Division III national championship match (2017, 2019). His career record ended at 125-40, while his 62-13 singles record gave him the third-best winning percentage (.827) in program history. He was ranked No. 31 in the nation in singles his senior year (No. 10 in the West Region), while the Stags were 14-1 and ranked No. 2 in the nation when spring sports were suspended in March.

The program's combined record in dual matches over Park's four seasons was an impressive 109-11, including 30 or more wins in each of his first three complete campaigns, a figure that the Stags were on track to reach again this spring.

"Daniel is a student-athlete leader unlike any I have ever worked with in my seventeen years as a head coach," said CMS head coach Paul Settles. "His maturity, poise, and self-awareness are beyond measure for a young man of only twenty-one years of age. He is an exceptional listener, organizer, and implementer, seeking out his teammates to understand them as people and as players."

To view the ITA's congratulatory video, click the play button above or visit our YouTube page at the link below. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsVrqDbxa3I&feature=youtu.be