From the swing of the racket, to the racing of the heart, this week’s athlete of the week sophomore Katrina Plank, was chosen by her tennis coach, Craig Foster.

“My dad played tennis in high school so I wanted to take after him,” Plank said. “Whenever I can get on the court, I practice.”

Plank started playing tennis last year and said that she was inspired to play tennis because of her dad.

“I chose Katrina because of her work ethic, and her desire to improve,” Foster said. “She’s dedicated and during a normal week she practices 15 hours on average.”

Sophomore Jillian Tran said that she and Plank have been playing tennis together for about a year.

“Katrina always does things on her own that knows will benefit us in the end, like picking up balls to prevent us from conditioning,” Tran said. “Katrina is a great athlete because she has great sportsmanship and always tries her best.”

Compared to other sports such as swim, Plank said she feels like tennis introduced her to new people and close friends.

“I made a lot of friends in tennis compared to other sports,” Plank said. “Everyone’s really encouraging to each other. Even if you don’t win a match, in spirit you won.”