Athlete of the week: Fort's Mooney goes from barely playing to top of tennis ladder
FORT DEFIANCE — Addyson Mooney started playing soccer when she was very young and played the sport for nearly a decade. But as she entered high school, Mooney was looking for a change. Her sister had played tennis, so the then Fort Defiance freshman thought she'd give the sport a try. She gave up soccer completely.
Now, as a junior, she's the top player on the ladder. Though it may seem so, it wasn't an overnight success story.
"It was a big change," said Mooney about going from soccer to tennis.
She was voted The News Leader's athlete of the week in a race that was close throughout. A late push by Mooney fans put her in first. In Fort's two matches last week, both on the road, Mooney won both of her singles matches. She won at Stuarts Draft 8-3 and at Wilson Memorial 8-4.
She didn't play much as a freshman. Her coach, John Edgecomb, tried to get her in to matches when he could, but honestly he wasn't sure she would be a good tennis player.
Edgecomb had first spoken to Mooney about playing tennis as a seventh grader. She told him then she wanted to focus on soccer, so Edgecomb didn't try to change her mind. Then she showed up for tennis practice as a freshman.
Although her freshman year didn't go great, when Mooney returned for her sophomore year, Edgecomb could see she had put in the work and said he was surprised by how much she had improved.
"I really was shellshocked when she came back as a sophomore," Edgecomb said. "And it's all through her own hard work."
She began last year in the No. 3 spot, then moved up to No. 2 by the end of the year. She finished 12-4 in singles. This year she is 6-2 at the No. 1 spot.
Mooney is a captain of the team as a junior.
"She has placed this team on her shoulders," Edgecomb said, "Always encouraging her teammates, willingly working with them to help them improve and gain experience, and all the while being one of the top academic students in Fort Defiance’s junior class."
If you have an athlete to nominate, please ask the athlete's coach to send the student's name and stats by Sunday to phite@newsleader.com.
Voting opens every Monday morning and closes Wednesday evening at 5 p.m. The winner is announced every Thursday on newsleader.com.
This week's other nominees were:
Maggie Parrott, Wilson Memorial, girls soccer: Parrott had a penalty kick goal against Stuarts Draft and an assist in a win over Staunton. Her coach, Brandon Fern, said she's been an asset for her passing accuracy and versatility, playing outside back on defense and left forward and midfield on offense.
Grace Godette, Wilson Memorial, girls tennis: Godette won doubles Thursday against Fort Defiance 8-1, teaming with Liz Cameron. She also won her singles against Fort 8-3. Wednesday against Spotswood, Godette teamed with Cameron to win doubles 8-6.
Caroline Alger, Buffalo Gap, softball: In a pair of games last week, Alger had five hits, six RBIs and a pair of home runs. The senior also pitched in both games, allowing only one run on two hits and striking out 15.
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— Patrick Hite is The News Leader's education reporter. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Fort Defiance's Mooney named athlete of the week
