After recommendation by the Stratford Athletic Hall of Fame committee and approval of the Board of Trustees, Stratford Academy announces the jersey retirement for two outstanding athletes: Link Leskosky McNure ’05 and Becker O’Shaughnessey ’12. Both individuals were standout tennis players at the high school, junior tennis, and college levels.
Athletic jersey retirement is the highest honor bestowed upon a Stratford athlete. Candidates are considered not only for their athletic achievements during their years at Stratford, but also for accomplishments following graduation and qualities such as leadership, sportsmanship, character, and integrity. An alumnus(a) must be at least 10 years removed from graduation in order to be eligible for this recognition.
Representing Stratford tennis, Link Leskosky McNure earned singles region and state championship titles in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2005, in addition to being a part of region-winning teams in those same years and state-winning teams in 2001 and 2003. On the Junior Tennis circuit, she was #1 in Georgia, #3 in the South, and #35 nationally during her time in the Junior 18s division. She received the Sportsmanship Award twice (in 2004 at the Southern Championship and in 2005 at Nationals) and was named the Female Junior Tennis Player of the Year for the Georgia Tennis Association in 2005. Her junior year was spent training in Florida. Following high school graduation, she played tennis for the University of Georgia and the College of Charleston. “Link ranks among the most successful tennis players to ever don a Stratford uniform,” shares Stratford Head Tennis Coach, Jaime Kaplan. “It’s one thing to be recognized for your tennis accomplishments, but how she carried herself with her peers and tournament officials showed who Link really was.”
Becker O’Shaughnessey lost his only match for Stratford as an eighth grader and was the team anchor who earned the Eagles four state and region titles. Individually, he was a three-time region winner and four-time state champion. He was also named The Telegraph’s Middle Georgia Boys Tennis Player of the Year four times. On the Junior Tennis circuit, Becker was #1 in Georgia, #8 in the South, and #25 nationally. When he played in the 16-and-under division, he won the National Open Doubles and was a finalist in the National Open Singles. Following graduation, he played at the University of Alabama earning SEC All-Freshman, Freshman of the Week, Second Team All-SEC, SEC Academic Honor Roll, ITA Scholar-Athlete, ITA Doubles All-American, and ITA Southern Region Player to Watch recognitions. “I had the privilege of being Becker’s high school tennis coach for the four years he competed on the team,” says Kaplan. “His record is pretty much unmatched for boys’ tennis in Stratford’s incredibly rich tennis history.”
McNure and O’Shaughnessey will be honored later in the year at Stratford Academy during a jersey retirement ceremony.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up