The ITA Rookie of the Year honors a first-year student-athlete who made significant contributions to his/her team in the areas of leadership, sportsmanship and performance.
Tyler Junior college freshman Destinee Martins made an immediate impact for the Apaches this season. Martins finished atop both the singles and doubles rankings this year. She clinched both the NJCAA National Championship No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles titles. Her athletic excellence paired with hardworking attitude played a large role in the Apaches capturing their 20th NCAA title.
Martins was honored as an ITA Singles and Doubles All-American this season. She finished with an undefeated 18-0 singles record that included wins over Division I and II opponents. In doubles play, Martins sole loss came to Tarleton State's Aguilar and Makantasi.
A Note from Tyler Junior College Women's Head Coach Dash Connell
We are very proud of Destinee and the honor of being named National Rookie of the Year for 2021. She worked very hard all year and was always progressing with more and more confidence. She did a great job on the court, but even more impressive was her friendship and leadership off the court with her team. We are very excited to see how this first year will propel her into more opportunities to shine in her next few years of college tennis.