NATIONAL CHAMPS, AGAIN !  (1994)

INDUSTRY, CALIF. - Francis Marion University women's tennis players Lee Whitwell and Mary Hirst defeated Ana Golubovic and Denis Valentin of Grand Canyon University 6-1 7-5 Thursday afternoon (May 12, 1994) in Industry, Calif., to win their second consecutive NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Doubles National Championship.

Whitwell and Hirst become only the third doubles team in NCAA Division II history to successfully defend a national title. They join Sandra Elliott and Nancy Roe of the University of Northern Colorado (1985 and 1986) and Christina Bokelund and Portia George of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (1987 and 1988) as the only repeat winners. No doubles team at any NCAA division has ever won three national titles.

Despite being the defending national champions, Whitwell and Hirst were unseeded entering the tournament. Golubovic and Valentin were seeded eighth. The Francis Marion pair dropped only two sets, while winning five matches in four days.

Whitwell, a sophomore from Gibraltar, and Hirst, a junior from Doncaster, England, finish the year with a 17-4 doubles record. They placed second in the number-one doubles flight at the Peach Belt Athletic Conference Tournament last month and last fall (1993) finished sixth in the doubles competition at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA)/Rolex NCAA Division II National Tournament in Edmond, Okla.

FMU head coach Garth Thomson said the second title was a little tougher to capture. "Last year, Lee and Mary basically took everyone by surprise, but this time around everyone was gunning for them."

The national tournament, hosted by California Poly Pomona at the Industry Hills Sheraton, included 32 doubles teams from 19 schools. Earlier in the tournament, Whitwell and Hirst defeated Charlotte Burgess and Camille Prather of Abilene Christian University 6-0 6-2 in the first round, Becky Huereque and Tracy Nguyen of Cal Poly Pomona 6-4 4-6 6-2 in the second round, Fumiko Masuda and Kristin Fleming of Elon College 6-3 6-2 in the quarterfinals, and Christine Walter and Michele Berkowitz of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 6-2 6-7 (7-4) 6-3 in the semifinals.

FMU DOUBLES TEAM WINS NATIONAL TITLE (1993)

INDUSTRY, CALIF. - The Francis Marion University women's tennis doubles team of Lee Whitwell and Mary Hirst defeated third-seeded Rebecca Huereque and Tracy Nguyen of the host school Cal Poly Pomona 3-6 6-2 6-3 to claim the NCAA Division II Women's Doubles National Championship Thursday afternoon (May 13, 1993).

The event was held at the Industry Hills Sheraton Resort and was hosted by California State Polytechnic University-Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona).

Whitwell and Hirst entered the tournament unseeded, but won four matches in three days, including an upset of the top-seeded team Tuesday, to improve to 12-1 for the season. The win is the first national tennis title of any kind for Francis Marion, which is in its first year as a full-fledged member of the NCAA Division II.

Whitwell, the 1993 Peach Belt Athletic Conference Player of the Year, is a freshman from Gibraltar, and Hirst, an NAIA All-American in 1992, is a sophomore from South Yorkshire, England. The Lady Patriots are coached by first-year coach Garth Thomson.

The national championship is the third in Francis Marion history, following national titles in women's basketball in 1982 and 1986.

Top-seeded Lucie Ludvigova of Grand Canyon University defeated second-seeded Pam Enkoji of the University of California at Davis 6-0 6-4 to win the singles title. Ludvigova beat Whitwell in the first round of singles competition Monday morning.

Earlier in the doubles competition, Whitwell and Hirst defeated Wendy Gutierrez and Dee Mercuri of Cal Poly Pomona 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 in the first round, top-seeded Allison Bruhn and Sue Hsu of California State University at Bakersfield 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 in the quarterfinals, and Tia Frazier and I.B. Hur of the University of Northern Colorado 6-3 6-3 in the semifinals.