Aggie tennis plays at home on Jan. 22 and Jan. 24

GREENSBORO – The 2010 North Carolina A&T women’s tennis season starts Friday morning at 11 when the Aggies face East Carolina at the Aggie Tennis Complex.

When the Aggies step on the court this season, they will be comprised of one Bermudan and seven Americans. That may seem insignificant. But in collegiate tennis, even in the MEAC, there are a large number of international players competing.

Fifth-year head coach James Dunwoody is not following the trend. He wants his teams to be as American as outdoor barbeques and the bald eagle.

“I want to make it clear that I’m not telling anyone how to run their program,’’ said Dunwoody. “I just want to give Americans or American minorities opportunities to play Division I tennis. I feel that at an HBCU, a big percentage of your players should be American. That’s my recruiting philosophy. It doesn’t have to be anyone else’s.”

Dunwoody’s belief has not brought about numerous championships. The MEAC teams who do bring in international talent have been successful. But for Dunwoody, it is just as much about education as it is conference titles. Women’s tennis is often in the running for the highest team GPA among N.C. A&T varsity sports.

“I want to invest in Americans,’’ said Dunwoody. “We have a lot of hard-working parents in this country who want to see their children get a quality education. If I can help with that, I’m going to. But again, that’s the Dunwoody way.”

Don’t take Dunwoody the wrong way, however. He believes his American approach can produce a championship team. It will be tough this season with such a young team. His 8-woman roster includes three freshmen and two sophomores. But he does have a rising superstar on his roster in Winnie Quick, a junior out of Greensboro.

Quick earned second-team all-MEAC honors last season. Quick has won 15 singles matches since signing with the Aggies. The good news for Dunwoody is that he will have two more full years with Quick while his younger players grow. Quick will team with senior Jaymee Jones to provide the Aggies leadership in 2010.

 “We have a great group of young ladies here who are ready to excel,’’ said Dunwoody.

That sounds like an American tradition.