PULLMAN, Wash. - Washington State University tennis student-athlete Lize Leenknecht and assistant coach Robin Cambier have been recognized by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for efforts this past seasons, the organization announced Monday.
Leenknecht has been named the Northwest Region recipient of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sportsmanship & Leadership Award, the second-straight year she has received the honor, while Cambier was named the Northwest Region winner of the ITA Assistant Coach of the Year.
Leenknecht hails from Heule, Belgium, and completed her Cougar career last month with a 77 singles victories, tied for 10th on WSU's all-time list. This season she posted a 19-12 singles record and 22-11 mark in doubles, despite battling a shoulder injury all year. A three-time team captain, the first in Coach Hart's 16-year coaching career, Leenknecht has captured the WSU Coaches Award each of the last two seasons. The award reflects a student-athletes on- and off-court dedication to the goals of the program. She graduated this past weekend with a degree in journalism and media production.
“This is a tremendous honor for Lize and I cannot think of anyone more deserving,” said WSU Head Coach Lisa Hart. “During her tenure at Washington State, Lize has been a model student-athlete in our program and has always represented Washington State University with integrity and class. We will miss her leadership on and off the court.”
Leenknecht is the third different Cougar to receive the Arthur Ashe Award, which is presented to players who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership, as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements.
Cambier recently completed his second year as the Cougars assistant coach after beginning the position in Jan., 2015. He is the second Cougar assistant coach to receive the award.
“Coach Cambier is so deserving of this award. Our recruiting, day to day operations, and competitiveness of our team continue to improve with the addition of his leadership,” said Hart. “I appreciate his passion and hard work on a daily basis.”
Both awards are given to players/coaches in 12 regions across the country with regional award winners moving on as finalists for the national award that will be announced later this month at the NCAA Championships in Tulsa, Okla.