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Longhorn Captain Helps Build Program

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By JOHN CEBALLOS

jceballos@tampatrib.com

Published: February 18, 2009

RUSKIN - As the Lennard High School varsity girls tennis team prepares for the start of the season, its members will rely on senior Shontoria Welch for guidance and leadership.

They also will look to Welch for tips on how to improve their tennis games.

"This is the first time playing tennis for some of the girls, so I work with them in practice as much as I can, hitting balls with them," Welch said.

Welch moved to Ruskin 21/2 years ago and has been a member of the Longhorns tennis team for each of its three seasons.

During her freshman year, she played tennis for Braden River High School in Bradenton.

"I always liked the game, and a couple of my friends wanted to try out for it," Welch said. "I hadn't really played any other sports until then."

Throughout her years as a Longhorn, she has impressed her coach with her performance on and off the court.

"She's absolutely as good as it gets," said Clinton Inman, Lennard's tennis coach. "She's our team captain, and she takes that responsibility very seriously.

"Shontoria is a model student and a model player."

Welch says tennis professional tennis greats Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams are her favorite players. She plans to study education in college next year. She is still undecided about which school she will attend but would like to stay in-state.

Before then, she's hoping to cap her high school career by continuing to help build Lennard's tennis program.

"I want us all to be able to go to districts, but I really want us to get as strong as we can as a team," Welch said.

MEET SHONTORIA WELCH

AGE: 17

SCHOOL: Lennard High School

GRADE: 12th

SPORT: Tennis

PLANS: Studying education at a college in Florida

Reporter John Ceballos can be reached at (813) 865-1555.

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