Bring out the rings! Last week, on Sep. 6, 2023, Florida A&M’s tennis team celebrated the end of the ‘22-23 season with a ring ceremony to commemorate their 2023 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championship victory. The team made history on April 23 as they defeated Jackson State University (JSU), making it the program’s first conference title since 1997.
The ring ceremony was held at the Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center, where FAMU President Larry Robinson and FAMU’s Athletic Director, Tiffani-Dawn B. Sykes, were in attendance to celebrate the champions. This would mark Sykes’ first championship ring since becoming the Athletic Director for FAMU in 2022.
“You all will go down as one of the greatest teams in FAMU history!” Sykes exclaimed to the athletes during the ceremony.
Commemorating an undefeated conference record, the athletes were also filled with excitement throughout the night.
“It was great to finally get the rings that we worked so hard and diligently for throughout last season,” said Reagan Harris, a sophomore tennis player. “The rings serve as not only a reminder of all that we accomplished last season but also as motivation for us to repeat what we did and do even better this year.”
Harris ended the 2022-23 season with outstanding achievements, including: SWAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, All-Tournament MVP, All-Tournament Team SWAC; and she also earned SWAC All-Conference Position Six First Team, according to FAMU Athletics. Harris was also responsible for scoring the game-deciding point against JSU.
As the athletes prepare for the start of the 2023-24 season, they look forward to progressing in their skills individually and as a team.
“Now that we have our rings, we are willing to keep getting better and putting in the work every day so that we can obtain another ring in the future and be able to make more history and overcome more milestones and goals,” said Genesis Whitelock, a sophomore tennis player and the ‘23 SWAC Freshmen of the Year.
The FAMU tennis team continues to work hard in preparation for the 2023-24 season. This weekend, they travel to Atlanta, Georgia, to compete in the HBCU National Tennis Championship Tournament.