Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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BY GREG WATERS S INCE SHE ARRIVED ON Grounds as a second-year in 2014, ten- nis standout Danielle Collins has been on an epic journey. Dur- ing her three years at UVA, the Florida native won a pair of national titles in singles on the court — becoming just the seventh college woman to accomplish that feat — while growing as a person off it. Her list of accomplishments in 2015-16 are impressive. Collins was named the Honda Sport Award winner for tennis and was nominated as a candidate for Colle- giate Woman Athlete of the Year. She also received ITA All-America singles honors for the third time and was tabbed as the ITA National Women's College Player of the Year. But what may be more important than the achievements of Collins the athlete, is the journey Collins the human being is on. It might sound odd for someone to sug- gest that college women's tennis best player needed to grow up, but that's her story. As a first-year, Collins entered the Uni- versity of Florida ranked as the No. 2 pros- pect in the country. But she struggled with the normal college transition most rookies encounter and being relegated to essentially non-starter status with the Gators. Maybe it was something Florida's coaches missed, maybe it wasn't the right fit, but UVA head coach Mark Guilbeau knew there was a lot to like about Collins. "I think a lot of kids go through this," he said. "The first go-around isn't always what we think. There's some adjustments; there's FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH Danielle Collins Developed Into A National Champion At UVA