Sarah Swafford has been playing tennis for 19 years.When she played for DeKalb County High School, she received Player of the Year voted by the district coaches.Her senior year, she received first runner up in the regional contest.She continued to play intramural tennis at Tennessee Technological University and won first place in the girls’ singles division.Sarah has taught beginner tennis ages 5 – 18 at summer camps when she lived in Nashville.Sarah is an elementary school teacher at East Side Primary who enjoys playing tennis in the Shelbyville Tennis Association.
Zach King
Zach King is a 2006 graduate of Shelbyville Central High School. He played tennis all four years of high school and distinguished himself as a player. He had an exceptional record at SCHS and became the #1 seed on the boys team his senior year. Zach won every possible honor given to a team member at SCHS: Most Improved Player, the Fitness Award, and the Leadership Award. He won a hard-fought decisive match his sophomore year to clinch his team's victory over Lawrence County in the first-ever district championship won by our boys. He also led his team to a district championship his senior year by knocking off a highly-ranked state player (also a senior) who had never lost a singles match to a Shelbyville player. Zach placed 2nd one year and 1st two years in the individual district tournament to advance to regional play. He was voted one of three all-district players his senior year.
Mary Beth Gunn
She started her tennis career playing for Harris Middle School. She joined the Shelbyville Central High School tennis team in 2000-2001. She lettered (played 5 or more matches) as a freshman for the varsity tennis team. Mary Beth went on to earn many awards as a player for SCHS. She was chosen captain of her team, won the Most Improved Player Award, the Fitness Award, and the Leadership Award. She led the girls team to two district championships and was voted one of three all-disrict players by the coaches of district 8-AAA. She advanced in the individual district tournament to the regional tournament one year in doubles and another year in singles. Mary Beth is now pursuing a post-graduate education while assisting the head tennis coach at her alma mater.
Ross Beavers
Ross is a 2006 graduate of Shelbyville Central High School. He played for the Harris Middle School squad three years before joining the high school team as a freshman. Ross was a welcome addition to his team. He started and finished his high school tennis career as the #2 seed but climbed to the #1 spot both his sophomore and junior year. He led his team all four years against some of the stiffest competition in Shelbyville's district and region. He compiled an impressive winning record for Shelbyville and was instrumental in bringing home two district championships for his school. From the beginning Ross earned the respect of his team, who elected him captain several times. Not surprisingly, he won the team Leadership Award 3 times. Ross placed 2nd one year and 1st two years in the individual district tournament to advance to the regional tournament. He was also recognized by the coaches of District 8-AAA as one of three all-district players. Ross is currently a student at MTSU.
Doyle Hutton
I wrote the proposal to begin the Harris Middle School tennis team back in 1993 and was its first coach. I coached at HMS for four years and became the SCHS tennis coach while still at HMS for a year before making a move to Shelbyville Central High School. I have coached at SCHS for twelve years. During my tenure SCHS has won four girls district championships and three boys district championships. No one has ever made it past regional competition in tennis at SCHS in the school's history. I hope I can guide the teams and individuals to a sectional and state birth for the first time ever.
