All in the Family: Flemings recognized for tennis excellence

One of the Fleming family’s values is that everyone takes part in an activity, no matter what it is. While those include softball, basketball, wrestling, soccer, swimming and more, the common denominator is tennis.

“We have always shared with our kids that we do not care what they choose, but they need to choose something,” said Heather Fleming, the matriarch. “Tennis has turned out to be at the top of the favorite activity list for all three kids: Gabi, Payton and Mack.”

Heather and her husband, BJ, are no stranger to the sport either. They met at the University of Northern Iowa, where they both played tennis. Heather started at an early age, while BJ took it up a bit later. Together, they have won numerous husband and wife doubles titles and have competed in the Level 1 USTA Husband and Wife National Championships.

For this and many other reasons, the Fleming family of Robins, Iowa, was awarded as the 2025 USTA Iowa Tennis Family of the Year and the USTA Missouri Valley Tennis Family of the Year.

“Each of our family members has had their own special pieces of recognition and success with tennis, and it’s so much more impactful to be recognized as a family unit,” Heather said. “We feel so blessed by what tennis has done for us and enjoy supporting others in their tennis journey.”

BJ and Heather’s oldest daughter, Gabi, won back-to-back state 1A singles titles as a freshman and sophomore. She led the Xavier High School girls’ tennis team to a state runner-up finish in 2024 and a first-place finish in 2025.

Gabi also finished first in the inaugural USTA Missouri Valley ‘Valley Cup’ adult tournament series last year. The runner-up in the open division? Her mom, who Gabi battled against in a tight three-set final at the long-running Baird Iowa Open.

Heather said the best parts about tennis for the family are enjoying something they can do together, creating friendships and experiences, life lessons and the competition.

Heather is director of people and culture at World Class Industries, and BJ is a financial advisor at Farmers State Bank. Like Heather, BJ competes at USTA tournaments. He is also a USTA Iowa league player and captain. Mack and Payton are up-and-coming players, as both are nationally ranked juniors.

“The life lessons that tennis teaches us are resiliency, problem solving, courage, self-confidence, teamwork, preparation, communication with all types of people,” Heather said. “And we thrive in competition and enjoy the battle of competing.”

Check out the full list of 2025 USTA Iowa award winners and 2025 USTA Missouri Valley award recipients.