St Lucian Player Takes Up Tennis Scholarship

Another St Lucian athlete has traveled to the United States to begin studies on a sports scholarship. 17-year-old Vieux Fort Comprehensive Secondary School alumnus Aquila Gustave is now enrolled at Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. The pre-med student will begin competition with the Crusaders' women’s tennis team in time for the spring season, which begins in early February.

Gustave is a product of the OMS Tennis Academy in St. Lucia and was named the academy’s Most Outstanding Female player in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, and Augier Combined School's Most Outstanding overall player in 2006. She joined OMS Tennis Academy at age 8 and represented her country in the St Vincent Milo Tournament in 2006 and 2008. Last summer, she competed at the International Tennis Federation Coca Cola Open, advanced to the Challenger Cup finals in under-18 girls’ singles and under-18 mixed doubles, and won the inaugural Christmas Tournament at the National Tennis Centre in Beausejour, Gros Islet.

“We are extremely excited to have Aquila come this Spring semester,” said Evangel head tennis coach Debbie De Almeida. “Aquila is one of the top players in St. Lucia and will add some great strength to our top half of the line-up. She has a deep desire to play tennis and study at Evangel. She is an excellent addition to the Evangel tennis family and our first Caribbean recruit.”

Evangel is part of the Heart of America Athletic Conference and fields intercollegiate teams in men's basketball, track and field, cross-country and golf, women's volleyball, basketball, track and field, cross-country and tennis. Crusader athletes are also actively involved in outreach through our Athletic Ministries program. The school's tennis team practices and competes at the Cooper Tennis Complex, a state-of-the-art facility that features twelve indoor and 16 outdoor courts and a 2,500 seat outdoor stadium court.

Photo by National Tennis Centre