Northwestern University Athletics
Future Wildcat Raleigh Smith Receives National Honor from NHSCA
7/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
July 8, 2010
Complete List of NHSCA Athlete of the Year winners
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern incoming freshman Raleigh Smith, a four-time state singles champion in Florida and member of four state title-winning teams, has been named the National Athlete of the Year in boys tennis by the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA). The organization annually honors the country's top graduating high school senior in 20 different sports.
Playing for perennial powerhouse Gulliver Prep in Miami, Fla., Smith recently capped an outstanding career in which he won state singles crowns at No. 5 singles as a freshman, No. 3 as a sophomore, No. 2 as a junior and finally No. 1 during his senior campaign. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound Smith never lost a singles match in team district, regional or state competitions, compiling a record of 38-0. He also never dropped a set in state competition the past three years.
Ranked No. 24 nationally by tennisrecruiting.net, Smith owns a 25-13 singles record on the juniors circuit. He won the United States Tennis Association's (USTA) Boys Under-16 National Clay Court Doubles Championship in 2008 and finished in the top 12 in singles in 2009, and was the Plaza Cup doubles champion in 2009.
"This is an outstanding honor for Raleigh and a testament to the type of individual that will be joining Northwestern men's tennis in the fall," said NU head coach Arvid Swan. "I know he worked extremely hard on and off the court at Gulliver Prep. We look forward to the immediate contributions that he'll have on our program."
Click here for a complete list of NHSCA Athlete of the Year winners and their bio information.
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