May 7, 2014
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The ITA announced today that Notre Dame men’s tennis senior manager Emily Mae Schmid is one of two people selected as the 2014 Wilson/ITA National Promoter of the Year Award winners. Both Emily and the second winner, Mia Lancaster of the University of Oklahoma will receive a paid summer internship to work at Wilson’s global headquarters in Chicago, Illinois in its Grassroots Marking department.
“Congratulations to Emily and Mia for being selected as the 2014 Wilson/ITA Promoter of the Year,” says Cy Dofitas, US Grassroots Manager – Racquet Sports at Wilson Sporting Goods, Co. “Wilson is very excited to welcome two such deserving recipients to our global headquarters and we are committed to making this summer’s internship an experience of a lifetime.”
The Wilson/ITA National Promoter of the Year Award recognizes individuals who promote the game of tennis at the collegiate level by devoting consistent time and effort to promotional activities and who support and bring awareness to either their school program or to the sport in general.
Schmid has served as team manager of the men’s tennis team since December 2011, and was eventually promoted to Senior Manager. She worked extensively with coaches and student-athletes and her responsibilities included organizing matches and practices, including nutrition needs and equipment. She was nominated for the award by assistant coach Adam Schaechterle.
“Emily excelled in her role as the manager of our team and showed a passion for applying her interesting in business and marketing to the sport of tennis,” Schaechterle says. “She will be an excellent fit at Wilson and has a bright future in the sports marketing world.”
In addition to her work with the Notre Dame men’s team, Schmid also worked as Manager of Tennis Operations at the Knollwood Country Club, where she organized USTA matches, private lessons, children’s camps and tournaments.
Before she started working with the men’s tennis team, Schmid admitted she knew nothing about tennis.
“My favorite part of working with the Notre Dame men’s tennis team, besides getting to know the team of course, has been being introduced to the game of tennis,” she says. “Since then, I have become a huge fan and have even learned to play. It has been a truly invaluable experience, but if I had to pick one thing it would be the opportunity to learn about the sport from the most amazing people through the coaches and players I’ve worked with over the past three seasons.”
A native of Granger, Indiana, Schmid will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from the University of Notre Dame next week. She was “filled with joy and pride” when learning she’d won the 2014 Wilson/ITA National Promoter of the Year Award.
“I was so happy to hear that I had won the award,” Schmid explains. “It meant so much to me that my coaches nominated me, and I was really proud of myself for succeeding in the application process to demonstrate what being a tennis manager really means to me. I’ve known for a long time that I want to work in athletics but I have really grown to love tennis over the past three years. This internship provides the opportunity to both build a career and work at something I truly care about.”
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