TOLEDO, Ohio — Mari-Yona Shannon made headlines last year when she earned a trip to the state tennis tournament by winning the district title as a freshman.
She did this while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
“I had a pretty good experience at Maumee Valley because of their intensives and it was cool being able to experience that and tennis," the sophomore said.
Her dedication accompanies her in both aspects of her role as a student and athlete. Shannon excels in math, speaks Japanese and enjoys art classes.
“It’s definitely relaxing being able to come to art class after all my other courses. I was able to have some creativity," she said. "The assignment was to draw two things that were important to you, so I did my tennis racket which is pretty obvious, and my headphones, which I listen to music before my tennis matches and stuff."
Shannon's tennis coach, Epifani Jones, said she sees a lot of herself in Shannon as they have many things in common off the court.
“We’re both kind of nerds and love the academic aspects of tennis," she said. "We talk physics and geometry and we kind of break it down in a very scientific, academic way and once you get the science down, it's a different conversation. So, we're kind of headed to an elite level of tennis."
Jones added that Shannon's physicality has significantly developed since last season and is ready to expand on her talent.
"That was a lot of what we worked on, just getting the balance and the strength and getting used to her body," Jones said. "She's thinking bigger thoughts and high school tennis is a stepping stone. It's foundational to better tournaments and better experiences."
As she enters her second high school season, Shannon hopes to lean into her developed confidence as a player and make it back to states, all while executing the goals she has set in her plan of action.
"Not losing any matches. That's my main goal of this season. Being able to attack any ball that comes in front of me and being able to use that effectively and paving my way into the court," she said. "I become calm when I'm on the court and the court is sort of like my home at this point. So, I'm very comfortable now."
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