SPORTS STORIES:
SPORTS INFORMATION—2009
JENNIFER IS CLEVER ON THE COURT AND IN THE CLASSROOM...
CLEVELAND, OH (April 14, 2009) - It’s hard to miss junior tennis player Jennifer Clever (Ashland, OH) when she steps onto the court. Even though she wears a pink ribbon in her hair and plays with a tennis racquet strung in pink, looks can be deceiving. Clever’s never say die attitude has made her the women’s tennis team’s scrappiest player.
Clever transferred to Case Western Reserve University her sophomore year and at that time she had not played organized tennis since high school. Then someone close to her told her she should consider playing tennis again and soon later she was a Spartan.
“I actually didn’t even consider playing in college,” recalled Clever. “But once I transferred to Case my mom was like, ‘you know, you should play tennis again. I always loved watching you play.’ I realized that I had missed playing, too, so I talked to the coach and got on the team.”
Last season Clever led the team with eight wins as the No. 5 singles player. While Clever says that she does not have one killer stroke that puts people away, it is her ability to run down tough shots that has made her a thorn in her opponent’s side.
“That’s why people say I’m scrappy, because I get every ball back over the net,” said Clever. “I try to get to everything. I hate it when any ball gets by me. Sometimes people will hit a short ball that they think I can’t run to, but that’s not me. And I know it frustrates my opponents because they will hit it out or hit it into the net because they want the point to be over. For me, I don’t care how long it takes to win a match.”
Now in her second year with the team, Clever has propelled herself into the No. 3 singles spot which has required her to work even harder and put in more time on the court. Being a leader on the tennis team is just one of an impressive list of activities that consumes Clever’s days.
Clever is a biomedical engineering major at Case Western Reserve and plans on working towards a career as an orthopedic surgeon after graduation. She is currently doing work in a biomechanics lab on campus looking at the damage done to bones when they break and researching possible transplant surgeries.
“My dad was an athlete all through high school and he pretty much destroyed his knee” said Clever. “He has had nine surgeries and as I have gotten older I have gotten more interested about what was happening. I have spoken to his doctor during one of his more recent surgeries and I have looked at x-rays and seen videos. Being an orthopedic surgeon is something I really want to do and I can relate to the athletes that I will be helping.”
Clever’s research work only scratches the surface of her involvement on campus. She is also a member of the Women in Science and Engineering Roundtable where women who are already working in the industry come and speak with aspiring professionals like her. Clever is a founding member of her sorority Kappa Alpha Theta as well, which opened a chapter at Case Western Reserve the semester that she transferred here, and she is a resident assistant for the Adelbert Complex.
Whenever Clever thinks about cutting back on something, she can never seem to justify leaving any of her duties behind.
“I probably should cut back, but honestly, I just can’t,” admits Clever. “I really enjoy everything I do because everything is so different. You can’t compare playing tennis to being in a sorority. Everything I do has a different dynamic and I need them all to help keep me balanced.”
Last week against Wooster, Clever had one of her best performances to date when she won her singles and doubles matches to clinch the win for her team. Even though her new spot at No. 3 singles means she has been facing much tougher competition, that has not slowed down her progress on the court.
“It’s been tough this year realizing that I’m not going to win every match,” said Clever. “But I look at this season as a learning experience and I know I am a much better tennis player now than I was last year, or even back in January.”
The Spartans will head to Allegheny College on Apr. 21 to play in their final game before the UAA Championships.
WANT MORE WOMEN'S TENNIS? ... CLICK HERE to view a recent "video" story done on senior No. 1 Marta Worwag (Highland Park, IL) and CLICK HERE to listen to a "podcast" with former No. 1, junior Kristin Ko (Cincinnati, OH), who suffered a season ending injury in the winter.
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