TopFrog
Lifelong Frog
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[SIZE=14pt]Former Frogs Hit ITF Pro Circuit This Weekend[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Harkins, Munch-Soegaard and Tweedie-Yates to compete[/SIZE]
ITF PRO CIRCUIT TOURNAMENT SITE
FORT WORTH – Three former members of the TCU women’s tennis team will compete in the 2010 Hunt Communities USTA Women’s Pro Tennis Classic, an ITF Pro Circuit event, June 6-13 in El Paso, Texas. Macall Harkins, Nina Munch-Soegaard and Story Tweedie-Yates will each take part in the $25,000-purse challenge.
Each of the three players is scheduled to begin play in the singles qualifying draw featuring 64 entries June 6-7. The main singles draw runs June 8-13. Harkins and Tweedie-Yates are also expected to partner up for the tournament’s doubles competition.
The trio of former Frogs mark three of the most successful student-athletes in TCU’s program history, having combined for three All-America honors and seven all-conference selections. More importantly is the fact that each completed their degrees while on campus.
Munch-Soegaard will be playing in her first tournament as a professional after concluding her TCU career at last week’s NCAA Individual Championships. She earned an at-large bid to the singles bracket for her second consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championship after helping the Frogs earn their seventh consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament earlier this season, as well as the Mountain West Conference tournament title. She led TCU in singles victories in both of her first two years on campus, including a 21-6 dual-match record in 2007 that helped earn her MWC Freshman of the Year honors.
The native of Amarillo, Texas, posted a 95-46 career singles record, which is only one victory short of the Frogs’ career top-5 wins list. She owns career-best ITF rankings of Nos. 539 in singles and 531 in doubles.
Joining Munch-Soegaard in El Paso will be former teammate Macall Harkins, who has been on the pro circuit since playing her final season at TCU last spring. Currently ranked No. 417 in singles and No. 472 in doubles, Harkins owns the 22nd-best ranking among all players in the field. She has won two pro tournament championships in singles and one in doubles during the past year.
Harkins was a two-time All-MWC singles player (2008, 2009) for the Frogs while lettering from 2007 through 2009, while she was named to the league’s all-doubles squad in 2008. The Palos Verdes, Calif., native earned the 2008 ITA Southwest Regional doubles title playing alongside former teammate Anna Sydorska.
Also in action in El Paso will be Tweedie-Yates, a former Frog who is making a return to her pro career after spending the last season serving as an assistant coach at Fresno State. In her only season at TCU as a senior in 2005, Tweedie-Yates earned All-American honors in singles and doubles in addition to being named a First-Team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American. She ended the campaign ranked No. 11 nationally in singles and was named Conference USA Player of the Year while helping the Frogs win the C-USA and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Before transferring to TCU, Tweedie-Yates spent her first three collegiate seasons at Stanford and was a part of the 2001-02 and 2003-04 NCAA Championship teams.
Tweedie-Yates most recently spent four years as a professional on the WTA tour. She traveled to numerous countries in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia for the tour, picking up 143 singles and 159 doubles victories during that span. She was ranked as high as a No. 189 in doubles and in No. 316 singles.
“I had the good fortune of being able to work with all three players during their careers at TCU,” TCU head coach Jefferson Hammond said. “All three reflect what it means to be a Horned Frog, and it’s a thrill to see them all at the same event. No matter what results they end up with this weekend, all three are big-time winners in the game of life. That means more than any single trophy.”
Fans can follow the action from El Paso on ITFTennis.com.
