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Tempe, AZ – Throughout the 2024-25 college tennis season, members of the ITA Student-Athlete Council will have the opportunity to be featured in monthly spotlights that will give the greater college tennis community an inside look at some of our Student-Athlete Council members and what they are accomplishing on and off the court.
In this spotlight, Jenna Mahoney of Bethel College will share a little bit about herself and some of her experiences serving on the ITA Student-Athlete Council.
Read more about Jenna in this spotlight below:
Hello, my name is Jenna Mahoney and I am a senior at Bethel College. Outside of tennis, I am pursuing a Bachelor’s of Arts in Communication Arts with a minor in Sport Management with the hopes of pursuing a career in college or professional athletics.
Why was it important to you to apply to the ITA Student-Athlete Council, and what does it mean to you to represent college tennis athletes from across all levels of play, as well as specifically the NAIA level of play where you compete?
It was important to me to apply for the ITA Student-Athlete Council two summers ago because I am always looking for more opportunities to expand my leadership skills and to connect with other athletes around the country. To be able to represent tennis athletes around all divisions is such a rewarding experience to get to solve different aspects of the tennis world and be a voice for them. Being able to represent NAIA tennis players as a whole has been so beneficial to be a part of because I hear all of the other levels in the country and get to relate it to the NAIA.
Being a returning member of the ITA Student-Athlete Council, why was it important for you to apply again to serve on the Council and what lessons did you learn from your first year that you have been able to apply to your second year on the council?
As a returning member of the ITA Student-Athlete Council in my second term, it was important for me to apply again so I could expand my leadership even further and meet new leaders different from the first term I served. In my first term, we didn’t meet a ton but we still got a lot done. I learned that communication is key in a setting like this because you’re with people from all over the country and in different divisions, so scheduling is hard. Being able to communicate effectively with the other members of the council this year has been crucial for our success.
As a member of the ITA Mentorship Program as well, why do you find it important to develop connections and skills for your future professional career while still a student-athlete? What advice would you give to other current student-athletes who are getting ready to make the transition from college to the professional world?
I am also a member of the ITA Mentorship Program which has been such a beneficial part of my senior year and last semesters at Bethel. It’s important to me to develop a connection with my mentor so that I feel comfortable sharing my wants and goals for after graduation. My mentor and I discuss smaller steps I need to take in order to be successful after graduation while not putting too much pressure on the big stuff. If I had to give a piece of advice to other student-athletes that are going into the transition of college to the professional world, I would say apply and put yourself out there for everything and anything. Don’t be scared to be turned down because you would rather have too many opportunities than none.
Why was college tennis the right choice for you, and what have you learned from playing college tennis that you think will benefit you throughout your life?
College tennis was the right choice for me after high school because it gave me a sense of community that I never had on a high school tennis team. It not only gave me friends, but gave me people to look up to and talk about my goals with. It made me go out of my comfort zone to be vulnerable in front of others which will be beneficial for me in the professional world. My teammates and coaches are my biggest cheerleaders (besides my dad) that I know will always be there for me no matter where I go in life and I could never thank them enough for this experience.
The ITA Student-Athlete Council is a committee of student-athletes who play college tennis assembled to provide insights regarding the sport with a special emphasis on the student-athlete experience. The goals of this committee are as follows: Present a student-athlete voice within the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) (1), Offer input regarding matters pertaining to the sport, particularly issues impacting the lives of student-athletes (2), Work to enhance the student-athlete experience specific to college tennis across all divisions (3), Invest in the leaders of tomorrow by creating leadership and professional development opportunities (4).
