Catoosa_walker_news The 2018 Walker County Tennis Players of the Year
Katherine Grace McElhaney, better known to most in Walker County as “K.G.” enjoyed an outstanding senior season playing team sports.
In softball, she hit a solid .302 for the Lady Trojans with four doubles, 21 RBIs and her first career homerun as she made the Catoosa-Walker Dream Team as an honorable mention selection. She also played a huge role as the team’s primary catcher and helped Gordon Lee win a third straight state championship.
On the basketball court, she was a valuable asset on both ends of the floor and excelled at rebounding and on the defensive end to help the Navyand-White get to the Sweet 16 round of the Class 1A public school state playoffs.
But in the spring, she turned her attention to tennis and closed out her senior year with a solid 6-3 record at No. 2 singles to share up Walker County Girls’ Tennis Player of the Year honors with LaFayette’s Skylar Oxford.
“I think it’s really cool (to share the award),” McElhaney said. “Tennis is just a really fun sport that I enjoy. It’s really cool to be given this award, especially in my senior year. I beat the people I should have beaten and I lost to those who are obviously better, but that’s just how it happened. I really enjoyed the season it was a lot of fun.”
“I just love how tennis is very
LaFayette’s Skylar “S.J.” Oxford spent most of her life either on the sidelines as a cheerleader or on the basketball court and it’s basketball where her future lies as the senior recently signed a letter of intent to play for the nearby Berry College Vikings.
But as a freshman four years ago, Oxford grabbed a racket, joined the Lady Ramblers’ tennis team and found something she can enjoy for life.
Oxford played both singles and doubles for LaFayette, accumulating a 28-12 career record in her matches and was a part of state tournament teams as a freshman and a sophomore. LaFayette complied a 23-10 team record in those two seasons.
After a 9-3 mark at No. 1 doubles as a junior, Oxford moved into the No. 1 singles spot this past season and finished with a 7-5 mark against some of the best players the northwest Georgia area had to offer.
And today, she joins Gordon Lee senior Katherine Grace McElhaney as the Walker County Girls’ Tennis Player of the Year for 2018.
“I think it’s awesome,” she beamed. “I was just super excited when I found out because I love tennis a lot. I just started playing tennis my freshman year, so to be the county Player of the Year my senior year is a big accomplishment for me.”
She termed her senior season a success, even though she said it was different playing singles as opposed to
competitive, but not as competitive as the other sports that I play,” she added. “It was just a time for me to kind of relax, have a little fun and just do what I enjoy doing.”
The weather should be just fine for McElhaney to play tennis over the next couple of years as she plans to temporarily put college on hold and go to work in the happiest place on earth - Walt Disney World.
“I’ll still play tennis a little bit here and there,” she said.