University of Georgia Athletics
Coming Attraction: Caroline Brinson
October 21, 2015 | Women's Tennis
Caroline Brinson Helps Uphold "The Georgia Way"
By SK Bowen
It is 1:45 p.m. on a Wednesday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. Practice does not start until 2 p.m., but Caroline Brinson is tearing through a basket of tennis balls to practice her serve. Before that, she practiced hitting backhand crosscourt and serve returns.
"You know she's a hard worker," said head coach Jeff Wallace as he watches her serve. "She comes in extra, as you can see right now, and puts in the time. I think that's important for the younger people to see too."
Caroline Brinson is a junior from New Orleans, La. Last year she led the team with 33 overall singles wins and 54 combined singles and doubles wins. Brinson ended last season with a national singles ranking of No. 98. She also helped the team advance to the NCAA Final Four, ITA National Team Indoor Finals and SEC Tournament Finals. This year, Brinson has worked her way up to the No. 72 national singles rank and holds an 8-1 singles and 5-1 doubles record.
Brinson may only be a junior, but she is the second oldest on the team. The team comprises of one senior, Silvia Garcia; one junior, Brinson; and five sophomores. With a younger team, Brinson helps Garcia with the older leadership roles.
"I think we have a team where everyone has a good head on their shoulders so it's not hard work for Silvia and me," said Brinson. "It's just our job to make sure everyone is doing things the right way because we made a promise to each other last year. When we deal with each other, we are going to hold each other accountable and do the right thing - 'The Georgia Way,' as we call it."
The team created the philosophy of "The Georgia Way" last year when it welcomed five freshmen. The coaches thought it would be a good idea to work on team building and leadership skills. Brinson explained that "The Georgia Way" is always doing the right thing on and off the court.
"It's also encouraging others to do it the right way. We think if we do things the right way, ultimately, good things will happen," said Brinson.
Wallace sees Brinson holding up this philosophy in "daily things in practice." He said she helps encourage everyone to go their hardest while they run and leads by example by coming into practice early.
"I think she's positive and wants this program to do well and the culture to stay where it is," said coach Wallace. "I think in her daily thing she's trying to create an environment here where everyone can be successful."
Georgia hosts the women's ITA Southeast Regionals this Thursday to Monday, though no Bulldogs will compete until Friday.
"You're going to see some of the most highly-ranked teams in the nation coming to our campus," said Wallace. "We are looking forward to being able to play this event in our own back yard."
The tournament is comprised of 80 players from 15 schools from Georgia and Florida. Six Lady Bulldogs, including Brinson, will play in the tournament.
"I think the whole team is playing really well," said Brinson. "We need to build off the play and momentum in the matches this weekend."
SK Bowen is a junior from Tifton, Ga., who is majoring in digital and broadcast journalism and marketing. Bowen, who also is pursuing a Grady Sports Media certificate, is in her second year as a student assistant with the UGA Sports Communications office.
"Coming Attractions" is a weekly feature published on georgiadogs.com spotlighting a UGA student-athlete who will be competing in a key home event during the upcoming weekend. Previous stories from this year include:
August 27 - Jasmine Eaton (volleyball in the Benson Hospitality Invitational)
September 3 - Sydney Shultis (soccer vs. Clemson)
September 10 - Liliana Rios (soccer vs. South Carolina)
September 17 - Isaiah McKenzie (football vs. South Carolina)
September 24 - Mariel Gutierrez (soccer vs. Arkansas & Texas A&M)
October 1 - John Atkins (football vs. Alabama)
October 8 - Matias Koski (swimming & diving vs. North Carolina)
October 15 - Megan Spencer (volleyball vs. Missouri)
