March 26, 2019
TIFTON— Traveling from her home country of South Africa to South Georgia might have taken some adjustment for Lisa English Doherty. But it never showed on the tennis court where the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College standout was named Most Valuable Player of the state tournament two years in a row.
“Besides the gnats at certain times of the year, playing tennis at ABAC was the best,” Doherty said recently. “In the low altitude, the ball bounced a lot higher and slower through the air so I had more time to react and played the best tennis of my life. In my 25 years away from South Africa, my two years at ABAC were two of the most memorable years of my life.”
For her expertise with a tennis racquet in her hand, Doherty has been selected for the 2019 class of the ABAC Athletics Hall of Fame. She will be honored at a dinner with the other inductees at 6 p.m. on April 5 in Gressette Gymnasium.
Tickets to the dinner are $40 per person. Tickets can be purchased from the ABAC Athletics Office at (229) 391-4930. There will be no tickets sold at the event.
Doherty was the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XVII Most Valuable Player in 1995 and 1996 when she played for Coach Alan Kramer’s Golden Fillies. She was an NJCAA All-America selection in 1995 and an International Tennis Association (ITA) All-America selection in 1995 and 1996. Doherty was also named to the All-Region team both years.
“I remember the enthusiasm and total belief that Coach Kramer always had in me,” Doherty said. “No matter how tough things seemed, he always had the sincerest, most genuine way to keep us going. I carry this inner belief with me in all that I do today. I never give up on anything without my best effort.”
Powered by the stellar play of Doherty, the ABAC women’s team won back-to-back NJCAA Region XVII titles before finishing sixth in the national tournament in 1995 and fifth in national tournament play in 1996. Doherty received her associate degree in business with honors from ABAC in 1996 before accepting tennis and academic scholarships to attend Mercer University.
“Lisa opened up the recruiting pipeline to both South Africa and Europe,” Kramer said. “Lisa and her doubles’ partner, Laura Holland from England, really helped us grab a foothold with international players. Of course, it really helped that Coach (Norman) Hill already had quite a few international players on the men’s team.
“Lisa’s work ethic on the court is what I remember most about her. She was really passionate about the game, and that passion impacted the entire team.”
At Mercer, Doherty was named the team captain and the Most Valuable Player of the team during both her junior and senior seasons. She was also named an ITA All-American Scholar Athlete in 1998 and received the Mercer Tennis Outstanding Leadership Award.
Doherty received her bachelor’s degree in management and marketing from Mercer before earning her Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Mercer in 2000. She presently serves as the district sales manager for Head/Penn Racquet Sports in Atlanta.
Kramer, now the ABAC Athletics Director, said the 2019 Hall of Fame class also includes the 1968-69 men’s basketball team, former softball standout Jenny McCarthy, former football player and longtime high school coach Sidney White, former basketball player and college basketball coach Alfred Barney, and former baseball player and high school coach Terry Mixon.
The Athletics Hall of Fame dinner is a part of the 2019 ABAC Homecoming celebration. For more information on Homecoming, interested persons can visit the web site at www.abac.edu/homecoming.
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