Mackenzie Wills of Ada is a member of the ONU tennis team again this year. She topped the Polar Bears last season in overall wins (43), singles victories (23), and doubles victories (20). She has an 83-33 career mark overall, including a 25-6 record against conference opponents.
She is a junior pharmaceutical major, having won two letters so far in women’s tennis.
Coach Scott Wills stated, "Mackenzie made great strides last year in developing her all-court game to complement her strong defensive skills, which can make her a tough out. We'll need her to continue to build on her strong doubles instincts."
The Ohio Northern women's tennis program looks to add to its storied tradition of excellence under 18th-year head coach Wills.
Last season, the Polar Bears would end the 2017-18 campaign with a 19-7 overall record and a 7-1 mark in conference play. Their regular season conference record would be good for a second-place finish in the final standings.
ONU also captured runner-up honors in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament. Northern narrowly defeated Otterbein 5-4 before falling in the title match to John Carroll 5-1, marking the 15th time in the past 17 seasons that the team has earned OAC champion or runner-up honors.
Wills enters the season with a 348-92 record at Ohio Northern. He currently stands first on the all-time wins list for active Ohio college coaches and second all-time among coaches at the NCAA DI, DII, DIII, and NAIA levels in Ohio college tennis history.
This season, Coach Wills and his staff will welcome back seven former varsity letter winners and five starters from the 2017-18 roster.
The long-tenured head coach stated, "We have a good blend of experience and youth on our team this year. If we can leverage this experience with a constancy in work ethic and focus, we can create another special year for Polar Bear tennis."
