Aug. 21, 2002

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - - After helping the University of Memphis men's tennis team become a fixture in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association national rankings in 2001, rising junior Lee Taylor Walker (Jackson, Tenn./University School of Jackson) teamed with Tennessee's Wade Orr to win the doubles portion of the ITA National Summer Championships in Bloomington, Ind., Aug. 12th.

Walker and Orr, the No. 2 seed in the men's doubles draw, downed the No. 4 seeded team of Drew Hoskins and Pete Stroer of Texas, 8-4, in the final. The duo also defeated teams from West Virginia and New Mexico in earlier rounds.

Walker also participated in the singles portion of the tournament, winning his first two matches before falling to eventual runner-up Chris Martin from the University of Illinois in the round of 16. Prior to the loss to Martin, Walker eliminated the No. 4 seed in the second round.

Walker teamed with rising senior Ben Stapp and played No. 1 doubles for the Tigers the past season. The duo finished the year with an 18-9 doubles record, finishing the year the No. 54 ranked doubles team in the country. Their strong doubles play helped Memphis finish the 2001-2002 ranked No. 54 in the country.

A transfer from Clemson University, Walker also posted a 15-10 singles mark for the Tigers last year.

Recently, Memphis was one of just eight nationally-ranked teams to earn the ITA All-Academic Team award for having a team GPA of 3.20 or higher.

The ITA National Summer Championships began in 1994 and are the pinnacle of the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit. This event features amateur players from throughout the country. The circuit is made up of five regional circuits for collegiate players as well as the general public. Each region consists of four consecutive tournaments during the month of July. Each summer, the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit provides nearly 2,000 college and junior level players the opportunity to improve their skills during the off-season. The tournament is sanctioned by the USTA and is a Category II Open Championship.