VIDEO: Palm Bay’s Olivia Janowicz, An All-American Tennis Player, National Champion At UF
By Charles Parker // January 26, 2017
SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME
OLIVIA JANOWICZ – 2015 INDUCTEE
• All-American In Singles At UF
• SEC Tournament MVP
• Lead Gators To National Titles
BEGAN ON FEE AVE. COURTS
Since she was three years old, Olivia Janowicz has never strayed far from a tennis racket.
A serious stress fracture last year sidelined a professional career, but that doesn’t mean Janowicz can no longer make a difference in the game.
She recently moved to Washington, DC to work as staff professional with the Junior Tennis Champions Center, or JTCC.
“It’s a nonprofit that grants tennis scholarships for underserved youth,” she said.
“We’ve given out five million dollars in scholarships.”
JTCC offers a world-class training program that helps junior players from all backgrounds reach their full potential on the court and in the classroom.
Every graduate of the JTCC’s Champions program has earned a scholarship to a Division I program or a facilitated acceptance at a Division III or Ivy League college or university.
Although born in New Jersey, Janowicz grew up in Brevard – Palm Bay to be exact – because her family wanted to give her the advantage of year-round tennis weather to sharpen her skills.
After starting her training at Melbourne’s Fee Avenue tennis courts, she got additional help at Kiwi Tennis Club in Indian Harbour Beach and in Vero Beach before heading to Gorin Tennis Academy in Granite Bay, California, near Sacramento.
She became a seasoned road warrior, traveling around the country to compete against the best amateur tennis players.
Prior to college, Janowicz was listed by tennisrecruiting.com as a “Five-Star Recruit and the number 24 recruit in the nation.
Tennis earned her a scholarship to the University of Florida, where she received her bachelor’s degree in political science and also made the Gators proud with her excellence on the courts.
She was part of the back-to-back national championship teams of 2011 and 2012, and the MVP at the 2013 Southeastern Conference tournament.
Her grateful school named her MVP for the 2014 team. While in college, she was ranked seventh in the country by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, and, with Kourtney Keegan, 23rd in doubles.
Janowicz won her 200th combined singles and doubles match with a 6-4, 3-6 and 6-1 victory over Kentucky’s Aldila Sutijiada in 2014.
She was selected for the 2011 and 2014 National Collegiate Athletic Association singles championships, as well as the 2014 doubles championship.
In 2010, she snagged the 2010 ITA Southeast Regional singles title.
As a senior, she was named All-American in singles and received ITA’s National Senior Most Improved Player award, while at the same time being a Gator scholar-athlete on the academic honor roll.
Her career awards also include 2013 SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player, 2011 ITA Southeast Region Rookie of the Year and the 2013 Dorothy Anderson Scholarship Award, presented annually to the Gator who displays the best combination of academics and character on and off the court.
In 2008, Janowicz was in Poland for the finals of the Prokom Cup, the same year she was a semi-finalist at the United States Tennis Association G18 National Hardcourt Championships. In 2009, she played her way through the qualifying draw and reached the round of 32 at the USTA National Clay Court Championships.
At just 25, Janowicz already has plenty of experience to help the players of tomorrow for many years to come.
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME
THE 2017 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME Banquet and Induction Ceremony will take place at the Cocoa Beach Country Club on Friday, May 12.
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT the 2017 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME, call 321-615-8111 or e-mail Contact@SpaceCoastDaily.com
