Carol joins Georgia Tech

Carol Lee attempts a baseline return during an ITF World Junior tournament in South Korea late last year. (Contributed Photo)

The CNMI’s Carol Lee is officially a member of the Georgia Tech tennis team.

Lee signed the letter of intent to commit to play for the Yellow Jackets last Wednesday night and will be suiting up for the NCAA Division I school for the 2020-2021 season.

“It is such an honor that I will be representing my home, NMI, to play in the NCAA at Georgia Tech,” said Lee, who received a full athletic scholarship from the Yellow Jackets.

Lee was recruited by one of George Tech’s coaches after scouting her when she played in the U.S. Open’s junior qualifying tournament in New York in August last year. Two more Division I schools have also shown interest with the CNMI junior player, but Lee was inclined to sign up with the Yellow Jackets after visiting the campus in Atlanta late last year.

“It was a lot of hard work and a long process but in the end, it was all worth it,” the 18-year-old said.

Lee is joining Georgia Tech after a notable junior career that saw her winning multiple doubles and singles titles in the ITF World Junior Circuit after joining competitions across Asia and Europe, in Australia, New Zealand, Morocco, the U.S., and Mexico, and reigning supreme in Pacific Oceania. She is the lone player in the 21-member nation Oceania Tennis Federation to have clinched the U12, U14, and U16 singles crowns in the Pacific Oceania Junior Championships

She was ranked as high as No. 114 in the world and has a Universal Tennis Rating of 11. UTR is a global tennis player rating system used to produce an objective, consistent, and accurate index of players’ skill. Lee is the first CNMI player to have competed in the main draw of both the U.S. Open and Australian Open (juniors division).

Georgia Tech welcomes the CNMI’s Carol Lee with the news of her signing the letter of intent to play for the Yellow Jackets posted on the team’s official website and accompanied with this graphic design. (Georgia Tech)

Georgia Tech’s athletics website has announced the signing of Lee, along with its three other new recruits—Mahak Jain (Bhopal, India), Ava Hrastar (Duluth, Ga.), and Ruth Marsh (Atlanta, Ga.).

“Carol possesses the qualities we feel are essential to play at this level,” Georgia Tech women’s tennis head coach Rodney Harmon was quoted as saying in the Yellow Jackets’ website. “We are excited to welcome her to the Yellow Jacket family. I am confident Carol will be successful both on the court and in the classroom.”

The Saipan Community School graduate has yet to decide which course she will be taking up at Georgia Tech, but said she is interested in business subjects. She also thanked all the people who supported her since she started playing tennis when she was just 5 years old.

“I would like to thank my parents, my friends, my coaches, and the ITF/OTF for supporting me through. I am beyond excited and can’t wait to start my new journey in college,” Lee said.

With Georgia Tech, Lee will be competing in the elite Atlantic Coast Conference, which has 14 member-schools (in women’s tennis only), including No. 1 North Carolina (across the U.S./ Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranking as of February 2020), No. 2 Florida State, and No. 7 Duke. The Yellow Jackets were once ranked No. 8 early this year before dropping to No. 10 when the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Georgia Tech won its last game (versus Virginia Tech, 6-1 last March 8) before the competition was halted to earn a 15-6 record for the 2019-2020 season.