Campanella Named Women’s College Player of the Year by U.S. Tennis Association
Rhode Island College senior captain Sadie Campanella of Chepachet received the Jill Craybas Award by the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA), making her the Rhode Island Women’s College Player of the Year.
This award was presented on July 12 during USTA New England’s Tennis Hall of Fame Championships in Newport, Rhode Island. Campananella’s parents accepted the award on her behalf, as Campanella is studying abroad in London.
Campanella is also a 2015 inductee of the USTA New England Hall of Fame, which exists to recognize those tennis players in New England whose achievements as sportsmen or sportswomen are worthy of the highest commendation and recognition, or whose contributions as officials or individuals in a tennis-related activity have been so outstanding over a significant period of time as to justify the highest commendation and recognition.
Campanella achieved 61.5 career points from 2012-15 at Rhode Island College, with a 41-19 (.683) career singles record and a 41-20 (.672) career doubles record. She is seventh all-time in program history in career points. Her 41 singles wins puts Campanella in a tie for eighth all-time, while her 41 doubles victories ranks seventh-best in school history.
As a senior in 2015, Campanella was named First Team All-Little East at No. 2 singles. She was 12-3 (.800) at No. 2 singles and 12-3 (.800) at No. 2 doubles for 18.0 points. (.800). Campanella posted a perfect 8-0 mark in LEC singles play, going an astounding 9-1 in her last 10 matches.
As a junior in 2014, Campanella was named First Team All-Little East at No. 2 doubles. She posted a 13-3 (.813) record at No. 1 singles and was 14-1 (.933) at No. 2 doubles for 20.0 points. Campanella was named the Little East Player of the Week once on the season.
As a sophomore in 2013, she was 9-7 (.563) at No. 1 singles and 9-8 (.529) at No. 1 doubles for 13.5 points on the season. Campanella was named the Little East Conference Player of the Week once on the season. She finished the season tied for fourth on the team in singles victories.
As a freshman in 2012, Campanella was named the 2012 Little East Conference Women's Tennis Rookie of the Year. She was 7-6 (.538) at No. 1 singles and 6-8 (.429) at No. 1 doubles for 10.0 points. She led the Anchorwomen in doubles victories, ranked second on the team in points and finished third on the team in singles wins. She was named the league’s Rookie of the Week twice on the season.
ABOUT THE JILL CRAYBAS AWARD
A native of East Greenwich, Jill Craybas is the most successful tennis player in Rhode Island history. She was a RIISL high school state singles champion for the Lincoln School and captured the 1996 NCAA singles championship for the University of Florida when she was the National College Player of the Year. She is the only player in NCAA history to be a member of Division I championship teams at two different schools (Texas and Florida). A two-time SEC Player of the Year, she finished her college career with a 124-18 record. A Florida Gator Hall of Famer, she played nearly 20 years on the WTA Tour. She won the 2002 Japan Open and five doubles titles on the main tour. She was ranked as high as No. 3 in the United States and No. 41 in the world. A regular for the United States Fed Cup team, her most notable result came at Wimbledon in 2005, where she defeated Williams and Marion Bartoli.
