Without question the most successful program among the 23 sports at Mary Washington College, the women's tennis team added to its storied tradition in 2002-03. With a roster that featured five seniors, the Eagles returned to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive year, marking the eighteenth time in the 22-year history of the NCAA Championships that the Eagles have participated.

 

MWC opened the season playing mostly flighted tournaments in the fall, but did earn a 9-0 win over Franklin & Marshall College and a 5-4 thriller over Division One Liberty University during the fall portion of the schedule. The Eagles also hosted the annual ITA Regional Tournament at the Battleground Athletic Complex, known as perhaps the top tennis facility in all of NCAA Division III.

 

After a pair of tough losses to open the spring schedule, the Eagles righted the ship with three consecutive victories on their annual spring break trip to Hilton Head Island, SC. The Eagles downed Agnes Scott College, 8-1, before edging Wittenberg University, 5-4, and Methodist College, 5-3. As the calendar turned to April, the Eagles turned red hot, winning six of seven matches, with the lone loss coming to the College of New Jersey on the road by a score of 5-4. Victories in the streak included a 5-4 win over Salisbury University, a 7-0 win against Carnegie-Mellon University, a pair of 7 -2 wins over Washington College and Hollins University, and 9-0 wins over Catholic University and Sweet Briar College.

 

The Eagles hosted the Capital Athletic Conference championships, and won three singles flights. Freshman Gayle Smith was named the league's Rookie of the Year after claiming the number two singles flight championship, and seniors Nancy Clark and Dena Heath also captured flight titles at number five and six singles. In addition, Karli Schneider, Kim Colwell, Lindsay McMahon, and the Eagles' three doubles teams earned All-CAC recognition by advancing to the conference

finals.