Athletics

TENNIS C ACH HELPS PLAYERS BUILD STRENGTH FOR LIFE

TENNIS CHAMPIONS ARE KNOWN for their mental and physical stamina. For many NCCU men’s tennis athletes, the stamina developed under Coach D. Curtis Lawson has had a profound impact on their academic and professional lives.

Large numbers of former tennis team members have gone on to study medicine, law, higher education, athletics, business and many more advanced fields.

Among those is Dillon Strepay, who joined the team as a walk-on in 2016 and spent the next three years as a varsity player.

“Being a student-athlete was one of the best and most formative experiences of my life, and I received second-to-none mentorship from Coach Lawson,” said Strepay, a 2018 graduate who is now a second-year medical student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Lawson is a true Eagle, earning an undergraduate degree in 1987 and a master’s in 1994. He played tennis as an undergraduate and returned for three separate staff coaching appointments, the latest of which started in 2006.

Briefs

Coaches have to be consistent in teaching, training and mentoring. That stability provides a foundation for student-athletes in their formative years. The experiences they go through in college will often set the stage for their lives after graduation.”

— COACH D. CURTIS LAWSON

Former tennis team members credit Lawson’s training style with helping them develop skills useful on the court, but also in the classroom or the boardroom, His style is often compared to the legendary NFL player and coach Tony Dungy.

“Coaches have to be consistent in teaching, training and mentoring,” Lawson said. “That stability provides a foundation for student-athletes in their formative years. The experiences they go through in college will often set the stage for their lives after graduation.”

Lawson also uses his personal network stretching back to the 1970s to help students during their college years and well beyond.

Triple Eagle Louis “Skip” Perkins, Ed.D., became one of the first members of the men’s tennis team under Lawson’s leadership. In 1995, Perkins and his teammates won the team’s first division championship in more than 10 years.

“My experience as a student-athlete was one of the greatest I’ve had,” Perkins said.

“When you find yourself pursuing an advanced degree – whether it’s graduate school, law school or obtaining a doctoral or medical degree – you find yourself reflecting back to strategies that Coach Lawson instilled in you that ultimately lead to success.”

For this coach, it’s about more than a game of tennis.

“I’m very intentional with my actions; my goal is to not only coach but also shape and mold student-athletes holistically,” Lawson said.

Before each practice, the team recites Lawson’s mantra that incorporates his core values: “Excellence Without Excuse. Accountability, Responsibility and Discipline.”

Lawson’s wife, T. Michelle Lawson, assists in nurturing student-athletes by creating a family-like atmosphere for the team.

Tamina Kienka completed his time at NCCU and was a member of the tennis team in 2015. Tamina is currently a third year M.D. and Ph.D. student at Harvard Medical School.

“Coach Lawson allows studentathletes to prioritize every element of their life,” Kienka said. “He places emphasis on physical conditioning but also mental conditioning, which is important.”

Along with leadership from Lawson, players get support from their teammates, even in off-court matters, such as completing college admissions applications.

Aza Stephen Allsop ’10, wasted no time using his tennis conditioning to great advantage. Since graduation, the former team captain earned a M.D. from Harvard University, a doctorate from MIT and is now completing his residency in psychiatry at Yale University.

’ BY KIA BELL

NCCU Baseball Players Drafted by Orioles, Giants

Two NCCU studentathletes signed Major League Baseball contracts this year. Pitcher Shane Davis, 20, a native of Currituck, N.C., was selected by the Baltimore Orioles, while Carter Williams, 22, from Browns Summit, N.C., will play for the San Francisco Giants.

DAVIS

WILLIAMS

Eagle Alum Devotes His Energy to Youth Athletics

Alumnus Nelson Cooper IV, ’15, is helping underserved and at-risk youth discover baseball as a pathway to success. Nelson, who earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance, is a financial analyst at PNC Financial Services in Pittsburgh.

After work, however, he devotes his time to Pittsburgh Hardball Academy, a nonprofit league for youth that helps instill strong character and self-esteem in the young players.

For more athletic news, visit nccueaglepride.com