PULLMAN, Wash. - Washington State University tennis student-athlete Melisa Ates as well as the Cougar Tennis team have been recognized by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for their efforts this past season, the organization announced Monday.
 
Ates has been named the Northwest Region recipient of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sportsmanship & Leadership Award while the Cougars were the recipient of the Northwest Region ITA Community Service Award.
 
Ates, from Antalya, Turkey, saw her senior season cut short due to COVID-19, but not before she posted a 20-6 singles record, her fourth-straight year of 20-plus singles wins. She ended the year ranked No. 7 on WSU's all-time singles victories list with 89 singles victories. In the fall, Ates, a computer science major who plans to return to WSU for a final season, posted the biggest upset of her career, defeated California's Julia Rosenqvist, ranked No. 24 nationally. Ates served as team captain last season, was heavily involved in the team's community service efforts, and was a member of WSU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
 
"Melisa leads by example every day," said WSU Head Coach Lisa Hart. "She is principled, genuine, and represents the very best of our program. In a world filled with many entitled young people, Melisa is the exact opposite. She is appreciative of every opportunity and is the first to give credit to those around her.  We are all better with Melisa's leadership present."
 
Ates is the fourth 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. 
 
As a team, the Cougars received the Northwest Region ITA Community Service Award for the fifth time under Coach Hart. The award honors a team that gives back to their campus and their community through tennis and non-tennis pathways. This past season, the team contributed numerous hours volunteering their time at Circles of Caring in Pullman, providing community-based health and wellness enhancement for adults and elders with specialized needs. The team hosts a yearly tennis tournament with proceeds, $25,000 in 2019, while also volunteering more than 75 hours of service throughout the year. The team has also volunteered at department holiday events, providing free tennis clinics for Pullman residents, and participate din a food collection program on Halloween.
 
"I am proud of the attitude our players approach community service with," said Hart.  "Our players are always willing to go above and beyond.  They have a lot of pride and passion when giving their time to the numerous activities they participate In and I am proud of them!"
 
Both awards are given to players/coaches/teams 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.