When Charlotte Calderwood started looking at colleges, Davidson wasn’t really high on the list.
An assistant coach, a family friend, and a campus that felt like home was all it took for Calderwood, a Greens Farms Academy senior tennis standout, to move the school to the very top.
In the fall, Calderwood committed to take her tennis game to the next level and signed the NCAA Letter of Intent that confirmed Davidson as her school of choice for the next four years.
“I guess when I visited in the summer I thought the campus was really beautiful and I met the coaches and the team and it felt like they were the team for me,” Calderwood said. “I fit in really well with everybody and they all seemed to be super nice and fun.”
A family friend had played for the Wildcats and when the family received her input about the school, it was just a feather in the proverbial cap.
“She told us how much she loved it and me and mom were like, ‘Awesome!’” Calderwood said.
Growing up, Calderwood was athletic enough to have played any sport she wanted. She felt the pull of tennis—a sport her mother played—and liked how she had full control of her game while out on the court.
“I just kind of enjoyed the solitude of it and I liked the way I was kind of able to control my matches and how I did,” she said. “I didn't rely on anyone and it was just super intense and fast-paced, and I really enjoyed the challenges.”
Joining the very successful GFA program—which has won two straight New England championships—gave Calderwood a team aspect of the sport, as well, leading her to want to play on a team in college.
Over the past two seasons at GFA, Calderwood has gone undefeated in singles play, winning 20 straight matches, according to GFA coach Monique Rutledge.
“She is a powerful hitter, skillful, agile, and mentally tough,” Rutledge said. “She is a highly strategic player who uses the first few games of the match to test and gauge the abilities of her opponent, then goes on to win by exploiting the weaknesses she's identified. She’s a strong leader, an ardent supporter of her teammates, and as co-captain, will lead the team to another highly successful season in 2023.”
One more team season at GFA followed by four more years at Davidson are simply a stretch of time. Calderwood is looking forward to as she continues to grow her game and complete her education.
“I still know I have that responsibility of myself and kind of holding myself accountable out on the court, but I get to now do it for people and kind of work towards a goal with people I love and care about,” she said. “And, yeah, that definitely makes it more fun. It’s awesome.”