Armando Ferreira of Mount Olive Named Finalist for ITA Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award
TEMPE, Ariz. - Armando Ferreira of Mount Olive has been named as one of the five finalists for the 2022 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award as endowed by Billie Jean King.
Long before he was a team captain and recognizable member of the Mount Olive community, Ferreira had to overcome many obstacles just to get the opportunity to play at the collegiate level.
Coming from Brazil, Ferreira made a deal with his father when he was just 18-years-old to cover half of a year’s tuition so that he could get to Mount Olive where he would figure out the rest. Once at Mount Olive, Ferreira immediately began working numerous jobs around campus while still excelling in the classroom and on the court.
Now in his final year with the Trojans, Ferreira’s leadership and hard work have shined through to many not just on the courts but well beyond them as well. Ferreira plans to graduate from Mount Olive this spring with a degree in Business Accounting.
Ferreira has been named Conference Carolinas Player of the Year in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
Ferreira (Mount Olive), Maxine Ng (Williams College), Mackenzie Rush (United States Merchant Marine Academy), David Salazar (Allegheny) and Caroline Vincent (Army) have all been selected as finalists for this prestigious honor in recognition of their distinguished efforts on and off the court.
The ITA Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award, as endowed by Billie Jean King, was created to honor a recent college graduate who played college tennis, demonstrated excellence in all aspects of being a student-athlete, was a leader on his or her team, and was an influential contributor on his or her college campus and community.
The recipient of the award will have demonstrated grit (i.e. passion and perseverance towards long-term goals), a commitment to social justice and equality, and will have pushed others to be leaders in addition to demonstrating his or her own leadership.
The five 2022 finalists, who have already submitted personal statements as well as letters of support from coaches, teammates, and professors, will now submit a resume and letter from their institution’s President to be reviewed by the ITA Ann Lebedeff Award Selection Panel. Once determined, the winner will be awarded a post-graduate scholarship, while a $1,000 donation will be made to the award winner’s college tennis program from the ITA.
To see the full release and learn more, please visit
here.