Francis Marion University athletic officials have announced that
former Patriot athletic coach Tom C. Davidson and
former women's tennis players Mary Hirst and
Lee Whitwell, both two-time national champions,
will be the newest inductees into the FMU Athletic Hall of Fame on
Feb. 16, 2002.
Although separated by one year in school, Hirst and
Whitwell became synonymous with each other, as they teamed
on the tennis court to win back-to-back NCAA Division II women's
doubles national championships in 1993 and 1994. The first
year, they entered the national tournament as unknowns, and the
following year as unlikely repeat champions. It was only the third
time in Division II history a doubles team had successfully
defended its title. The individual singles and doubles
championships were discontinued in 1995, thus not allowing the duo
a chance to "three-peat."
Hirst, a native of South Yorkshire, England,
played on the Patriot tennis team from 1992 to 1995 and earned
All-America honors three times. She helped guide FMU to a four-year
record of 47-29 and a pair of end-of-the-season national
rankings. She earned a B.A. degree in history in 1995 and
currently resides in her native England.
Off the playing court, she was named to the Peach Belt
Conference Presidential Honor Roll three times and was selected to
Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges in
1995.
In addition to her doubles prowess, she played in the 1994
Division II singles national championship tournament. She was the
1994 Patriot team's most valuable player.
As a freshman, she played in the NAIA singles and doubles
national championship tournaments. That season, she also
earned All-Palmetto State Conference and All-District Six
recognition.
Hirst and Whitwell also teamed to place second at the 1994 fall
Rolex National Small College Championships, and sixth at the 1993
fall ITA/Rolex NCAA Division II National Tournament, both held in
Edmond, Okla.
