ITA Student-Athlete Spotlight: Catharina Ausfahl and Aya Igaki-Meader, Johns Hopkins University

Working in collaboration with the ITA Student-Athlete Council, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (“ITA”) is proud to spotlight another student-athlete in our monthly spotlights that aim to highlight the many diverse backgrounds and communities that make up the sport of college tennis. With April being Autism Acceptance Month, the ITA is continuing to spotlight student-athletes who have…

ITA Student-Athlete Spotlight: Ethan Lee, Pomona Pitzer

Working in collaboration with the ITA Student-Athlete Council, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (“ITA”) is proud to spotlight another student-athlete in our monthly spotlights that aim to highlight the many diverse backgrounds and communities that make up the sport of college tennis. With April being Autism Acceptance Month, the ITA is continuing to spotlight student-athletes who have…

ITA Student-Athlete Spotlight: Yoyo Benchetrit, Caltech

Working in collaboration with the ITA Student-Athlete Council, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (“ITA”) is proud to spotlight another student-athlete in our monthly spotlights that aim to highlight the many diverse backgrounds and communities that make up the sport of college tennis. With April being Autism Acceptance Month, the ITA is continuing to spotlight student-athletes who have…

Meet Rebecca Falkner Axelrod

Finding her Voice Through tennis: How Rebecca Falkner Axelrod’s story Rebecca’s journey with tennis began when she was just six years old. Growing up, she was considered largely non-verbal, “I pretty much got kicked to the curb in other sports because coaches didn’t understand nor wanted to deal with me,” she recalls. But everything changed…

Meet Paul Armitage

For many, tennis is just a game. For Paul Armitage, 19 years old, it’s a transformation. What started as a way for him to have fun and engage with peers has turned into something much more—a journey of confidence, skill-building, and leadership. Through ACEing Autism, a program dedicated to providing tennis opportunities for individuals with…

Meet Jessica Wenzell

Meet Jessica Wenzell, a 17 year old volunteer at our Monroe, NC program, who has been dedicating her time for 4 years now. “I always loved working with kids, I used to tutor kindergarten through middle school students and I loved sharing my passion for tennis so this was a great match,” the senior at…

Meet Hayden Smith

Meet Hayden Smith, a 7-year-old athlete from our Atlanta, GA program. Hayden tried soccer but his mother, LeKeshia Smith, didn’t feel like he quite fit in. So, she was thrilled to find a program her son felt he belonged to when they started at ACEing Autism.  “Hayden loves spinning and the volunteers spinned with him,…