By Andrea Sidlauskas

2012 WIAC Player of the Year, member of the 2012 WIAC Sportsmanship Team, conference champion, team captain: many collegiate athletes train their entire lives to earn just one of these prestigious titles. Sydney Divelbiss has received them all, and then some.

While the senior tennis player has clearly demonstrated her outstanding athletic abilities for the Warhawks, UW-Whitewater was not her first choice. She attended the University of Colorado her freshman year, but transferred here the following season.

“I transferred to Whitewater with the intention of only playing tennis for a semester and then going on to the University of Minnesota,” Divelbiss said. “But I ended up enjoying the team and school so much that I stayed.”

Head coach Frank Barnes recognized her talent and recruited her for the ’Hawks, although she failed to make the lineup her first year. “But she’s a very competitive person; she worked her butt off every summer…and right now she’s number six in the region,” he said.

Opting out of graduation last year, Divelbiss chose to remain in Whitewater to play for another season. Her decision proved to be successful, as she won 2012 WIAC Player of the Year and 2012 WIAC All-Conference Athlete, represented the women’s tennis team in SAAC, and was named team captain.

“She’s a very great leader,” Barnes said. “She’s definitely one of the hardest workers I’ve ever coached.”

Although Divelbiss has earned numerous awards and is recognized regionally and nationally as an extremely talented player, she says her greatest athletic accomplishment has been earning the number one spot on the team.

“It’s something I had only dreamed of my first year at Whitewater,” she said. “To have the opportunity to play at that position and lead my team is extremely rewarding.”

The ’Hawks women’s tennis team also won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference last season with a record of 10-0, the fourth-best performance in WIAC history. Divelbiss went 6-0 in singles and 5-0 in doubles with partner Alexandra Bayliss.

Bayliss attributes their combined efforts as their main reason for success. “I can put the ball away and get the volleys…and [Divelbiss] kind of stays at the baseline and never misses,” she said.  “We have good chemistry, so we know what each other is gonna do.”

This will be the last season Bayliss is able to team up with Divelbiss for doubles. As Divelbiss prepares for graduation in the spring, she leaves behind a legacy of hard work and dedication.

“She went from being a bench player her freshman year to being one of the best players in the region,” Barnes said. “It’s all because of her solid upbringing from her parents, her great family, and I think she just pulled it all together.”

Eager to receive her diploma, Divelbiss has bittersweet feelings towards ending this chapter of her life. “I’m very anxious to see what the future has in store for me,” she said. “But I will never forget the past four years I spent here excelling as an athlete and an individual.”