2021 Junior Award Winners

USTA Texas announced its annual junior tennis award recipients in conjunction with The Texas Slam, a week-long tournament featuring nearly 1,000 competitive junior tennis players from across the state. This year’s tournament begins on June 19 and concludes on June 27.

Eleven players in total walked away with hardware, as the governing body of Texas tennis honored junior players throughout the state for their tennis prowess, as well as their sportsmanship on and off the court. Awards are presented to outstanding juniors across four age brackets in both boys and girls divisions.

“Tennis is the only sport where the players must work together to have a successful match experience,” said USTA Texas CEO and Executive Director Van Barry. “Sportsmanship is vital for that successful outcome and will be an important aspect of our sport’s continued growth. USTA Texas commends the high value of respect for competition, and respect for all those who are part of our tennis family.”

Plano’s Lucas Brown won the John McFarlin Award, presented to a junior boy in Texas who exemplifies outstanding sportsmanship and leadership, civic responsibility, character and a good tennis ranking due to superior tournament play. Victoria Zhao of Houston earned the Mary Lowdon Award, which honors an outstanding junior girl in Texas who has shown exceptional ability, a good ranking, a willingness to work with up-and-coming players, cooperation and proper respect, and a sportsmanlike and competitive spirit.

“Sportsmanship is obviously very important,” said Brown in his acceptance video. “When people think of tennis, tennis is a gentleman’s game. If someone is going to call themself a tennis player, they should act a certain way. Tennis, at its core, is all about sportsmanship.”

Brown also received the Art Foust Sportsmanship Award while Katie Garofolo-Ro of Houston received the Maureen Connolly Brinker Award. These awards honor an 18s boy and girl respectively for outstanding sportsmanship and fair play both on and off the court, with the final selection being made by the players of the tournament.

Zhao won the Zina Garrison Sportsmanship Award, while the Bob McKinley Sportsmanship Award went to Ted Gershon of Austin. These are each given to a 16s player in the boys and girls divisions. Zhao became the first player since 2015 to win both the Lowdon and Garrison Awards as a 16s player.

Qasym Dar of Houston received the Paul Christian Sportsmanship Award and Nadia Valdez of San Antonio received the Barbara Smith Sportsmanship Award. Each trophy is awarded to a 14s boy and girl, respectively. Austin’s Mason Vaughan won the Ken McAllister Sportsmanship Award and Richardson’s Ashlyn Burrows took home the Emily Schaefer Sportsmanship Award for the 12s division.

Finally, Ashlyn Krueger of Lewisville earned the Chuck McKinley Award, honoring a USTA Texas junior tennis player who achieved the most outstanding results at the National and/or International level, during the previous calendar year. Krueger was unable to attend this year’s Texas Slam as she was competing in Paris at the Junior French Open.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no awards ceremony was held this year. Instead, players submitted acceptance speeches online, which can be viewed at www.thetxslam.com.

The Texas Slam tournament is the largest junior tennis tournament in Texas and one of the largest in the country. The event has headlined the USTA Texas junior schedule for over 20 years.

2021 Junior Award Winners:

John McFarlin Award: Lucas Brown, Plano

Mary Lowdon Award: Victoria Zhao, Houston

Maureen Connolly Brinker Award: Katie Garofolo-Ro, Houston

Art Foust Sportsmanship Award: Lucas Brown, Plano

Zina Garrison Sportsmanship Award: Victoria Zhao, Houston

Bob McKinley Sportsmanship Award: Ted Gershon, Austin

Barbara Smith Sportsmanship Award: Nadia Valdez, San Antonio

Paul Christian Sportsmanship Award: Qasym Dar, Houston

Emily Schaefer Sportsmanship Award: Ashlyn Burrows, Richardson

Ken McAllister Sportsmanship Award: Mason Vaughan, Austin

Chuck McKinley Award: Ashlyn Krueger, Lewisville