Lily Runyan '25 Recruiting Profile

My sense of curiosity and desire to learn has shaped me both as a person and as a tennis player. I’ve always been told, from dance and cello instructors to tennis coaches that I’m very coachable. I take instruction and criticism and always work hard to change for the better. I think my drive to learn and improve, even when I face challenges, is my greatest strength. 

I started playing tennis when I was seven years old. I made the varsity team as a freshman in high school and was made captain my sophomore year. I work with my coach to lead practices. Even though I’ve been a strong player on my team, I’ve had a few matches in my high school career where I lost because my mental game wasn’t strong enough. This challenge motivated me this year and I have been reading books on the mental game of tennis and watching videos to help me strengthen my strategies for staying calm and keeping my head in the game. I look at these failures as opportunities to learn and grow which helps not just in tennis, but other aspects of my life too. They are stepping stones to a better version of me. 

I’m not a natural leader but I learned to be one. When I was younger, I tended to be quiet and more of an observer.  I wanted to learn how to be a good leader. So, as a freshman, I became a Wingman Leader in my school. The Wingman program began as a foundation formed by a family whose son was one of the victims in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Wingman’s Mission is “to nurture empathy, empower courage and inspire hope in people of all ages.” Their programs help build leadership skills and team-centered mentalities because they believe empathic people make the best leaders. As a Wingman student leader in my school, my goal was to help connect different types of students in one classroom. We develop and lead activities and bring groups, who wouldn’t normally socialize, together. It’s been an amazing learning experience and the leadership skills I’ve learned have helped me be an outgoing, positive, encouraging leader of my tennis team and in other activities I participate in.

In college, I want to continue playing tennis and further my education to keep myself always learning. I want to learn how to balance both my academics and the sport I love to create a future for myself. No matter what, my desire to learn always keeps me growing and is what has made me successful in all my previous endeavors. I’m looking forward to learning from professors, my coaches, my teammates and other students.  

I’m looking for a team that is competitive enough to keep me growing my skills, has great sportsmanship and will give me a sense of community.