Harlingen tennis star headed to Temple College

HARLINGEN ? Despite an early exposure to the game, Amanda Armenta didn?t pick up tennis at a young age. ?When I was little and we were living in Florida,? the Harlingen high senior said, ?my mother took me to see some tennis matches. She said it was Bjorn Borg, but I don?t remember.? She didn?t start playing tennis until she was in middle school, which pleased her mother, a tennis coach at the middle school level. And while a lot of tennis players do get earlier starts, Armenta?s late start hasn?t hurt her too much. She will continue her tennis career at Temple College in Temple, a junior college with a pretty solid tennis program. ?I?m really excited about playing tennis in college,? said Armenta. ?My mother played tennis in college as well, so she is excited.? Despite a strong tennis influence in her family, Amanda made up her own mind about the sport. ?I wanted to be a cheerleader and I was a cheerleader for youth football,? she said. At Temple College, she will play under coach Dick King. King has coached the Temple College men?s and women?s tennis teams since 1992, the year that the TC tennis program changed classifications from NJCAA Division I to NJCAA Division II. In 2005 TC moved back to NJCAA Division I. Since 1992, the TC women?s team has compiled a 140-107-1 dual match record, and won the NJCAA Division II National Championship in 2001-02, 2002-03, and 2003-04. They finished 3rd in 2001, 4th in 2000, 5th in 1993 and 6th in 1998. King?s players have received 21 ITA All-America honors, 19 NJCAA first team All-America honors, and 16 NJCAA second team All-America honors. He has coached three players that were named ITA Junior College Player of the Year and two who were selected for the ITA National All-Star team. Armenta, who helped lead the Cardinals to the regional tournament in team tennis in the fall, is looking forward to stepping it up to another level. ?I want to go and show that kids from the Valley can play at a higher level,? she said. ?She?s a hard worker and been a great captain,? said Harlingen coach Jay Tanamachi. ?She?s not the best athlete, but she?s the best girls tennis player.? She chose Temple College partially because she didn?t want to go too far away from home, despite interest from schools in other states, including Ohio Wesleyan. ?I want to be veterinarian,? she said. She plans to transfer to Texas A&M, after her two years at Temple. A&M has one of the better veterinary schools in the country.