SHARON WOOD DID NOT HAVE TO COME FAR TO CONTINUE TO PLAY THE SPORT SHE LOVED, TENNIS. FROM DOYLE HIGH SCHOOL IN KNOXVILLE, MS. WOOD DECIDED TO CONTINUE HER EDUCATION AND COMPETE FOR THE LADY SCOT TENNIS TEAM AT MARYVILLE COLLEGE. ONCE SHE HIT THE COURTS ON CAMPUS IN 1980 SHE NEVER LOOKED BACK. AS A FRESHMAN, SHE WORKED HER WAY UP TO PLAY AT THE #3 POSITION. SHE WAS KNOWN FOR HER ROCKET SERVE AND HER GROUND STROKES ALONG THE BASELINE. SHE PLAYED THE “CHRIS EVERT” TYPE OF MATCH. SERVE, THEN GROUND STROKE AFTER GROUND STROKE FROM THE BASELINE, WEARING DOWN HER OPPONENT UNTIL SHE COULD HIT A “WINNER” DEEP IN ONE OF THE CORNERS. BECAUSE OF HER SKILLS AND TENACITY, SHE PLAYED HER WAY TO A 2ND PLACE FINISH IN THE STATE SMALL COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIPS.
BEGINNING WITH HER SOPHOMORE SEASON, SHARON WAS CHOSEN TEAM CAPTAIN AND BEGAN TO LEAD THE SQUAD FROM HER #1 POSITION. BECAUSE COACH BRENDA COOPER ALSO DOUBLED AS THE BASKETBALL COACH, SHARON TOOK ON THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF CONDITIONING AND TEACHING THE FUNDAMENTALS TO HER TEAMMATES DURING THE PRE-SEASON. AS A RESULT OF HER SUCCESS IN SINGLES AND DOUBLES, SHARON WAS VOTED THE TEAM’S MVP DURING HER SOPHOMORE SEASON. BUT THE BEST WAS YET TO COME. HER JUNIOR YEAR, THE 82 SEASON, WAS HER FINEST DISPLAY OF HER TALENTS. SHE WON THE STATE SMALL COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIP IN #1 SINGLES.
TEAMING UP WITH HER TEAMMATE, SHELLEY KINGSBURY, THEY ALSO SWEPT THROUGH THE COMPETITION FOR THE DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP. AFTER WINNING THE STATE-TEAM TITLE, THE LADY SCOTS TRAVELED TO FREDERICKSBURG VIRGINIA AT MARY WASHINGTON COLLEGE FOR THE REGIONAL TOURNAMENT. SHARON WAS THE ONLY MARYVILLE ATHELETE TO ADVANCE. SHE EVENTUALLY FINISHED 5TH IN THE REGION FOR HER BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE. IN 1983, SHARON CONCLUDED HER TENNIS CAREER.
SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO DEFEND HER STATE SMALL COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIP BECAUSE THE TOURNAMENT WAS TERMINATED, BUT SHE HAD ANOTHER GREAT SEASON, ONCE AGAIN SHE WAS NAMED TEAM MOST VALUABLE PLAYER. THROUGHOUT HER HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL TENNIS CAREER, SHARON ALSO DOUBLED AS AN ATHLETIC TRAINER. SHE WOULD HELP IN COVERING THE OTHER SPORTS WHEN SHE WAS NOT ON THE TENNIS COURTS. SHE WOULD EVEN BE CALLED ON TO USE HER TRAINING SKILLS WHEN SHE HAD A BREAK IN THE ACTION DURING A TENNIS MATCH. SHE CONTRIBUTED IMMENSELY TO THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT WHILE A STUDENT AND HER DEDICATION AND CONTRIBUTIONS CONTINUE TODAY. IN 1987, AFTER HER GRADUATION, SHE WAS HIRED AS THE HEAD ATHLETIC TRAINER AT MARYVILLE COLLEGE. DURING HER 14 YEARS, HER EXPERTISE IN THE ATHLETIC TRAINING FIELD HAS PROVIDED THE MC ATHLETES WITH THE BEST OF CARE. BECAUSE SHE IS SO WIDELY RESPECTED IN HER FIELD, SHE WAS CHOSEN AS THE TRAINER FOR THE 2000 U.S.A. COLLEGE SELECT TEAM, A VITAL PART OF THE OLYMPIC BASKETBALL PROGRAM. WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE A YOUNG LADY GRACE OUR COURTS WITH THE CLASS AND COMPETITIVENESS OF SHARON WOOD.
WE ARE STILL VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE SUCH A HIGHLY SKILLED AND RESPECTED YOUNG LADY DIRECTING OUR ATHLETIC TRAINING PROGRAM AT THE COLLEGE. THANK YOU SHARON WOOD FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS, YOUR CONTINUED DEDICATION, AND YOUR MANY YEARS OF SERVICE TO MARYVILLE COLLEGE.
