Santa Clara Magazine

Athletics

Player of the year

Computer engineering major Katie Le ’14 becomes the first Bronco to battle in the NCAA women’s singles tourney.

Her first year at Santa Clara, Katie Le garnered acclaim as West Coast Conference freshman of the year. Instead of serving up a sophomore slump, her second year on the courts was a season of smashing firsts.

In the season that ended last May, the Milpitas native played every match at the No. 1 singles spot for the Broncos and finished with an 18–5 record. Her hard work—and a 10-match winning streak—earned her recognition as the West Coast Conference player of the year. And, in one Santa Clara first, she won All-WCC First Team honors for both her singles and doubles play.

But wait, it gets better: In another Santa Clara first, Le took her game to Athens, Ga., in May, when she became the first Bronco in history to play in the NCAA Women’s Singles Championship Match. In that lovely, humid weather that the Peach State delivers—80 degrees with 60 percent humidity—Le won one set against Georgia State’s Abigail Tere-Apisah, who was ranked in the top 40 in the country, but ultimately lost in three.

There are analog tasks ahead; facing tough competition on the courts shows her what she needs to work on to improve her game. Plus there’s computer engineering course work ahead—and an impressive 3.81 GPA to tend to.