Top Teen Gives Ol' College Try

Top Teen Gives Ol' College Try ~~~

Lauren Lui, the finalist in the USTA Girls 18s Spring Nationals in Mobile, is the teen that Dale Robertson of the Houston Chronicle is referring to in this article, which was published two weeks ago. From our few brief conversations, Lui strikes me as way too sensible a girl to have ever entertained serious thoughts of foregoing college for professional tennis. A full scholarship to Northwestern has a lot more going for it in the long run than a spot in the qualifying in the next St. Paul Challenger, and she's wise to see that.

The story says that Lui received the USTA's Okechi Womeodu Scholar/Athlete award. This is the first reference I've seen to a established memorial to the sixteen-year-old tennis star from Memphis, who died suddenly during an indoor soccer game in November of 2004. If anyone has information on the award, please email me (via this page, under Contact) or leave a comment to this post.