College Commitment
Fall Signing Week '08: Deacon Talbert
by James Hill, 15 November 2008
Kathryn Talbert of Mooresville, N.C., will soon become a Demon Deacon.
Talbert, ranked No. 25 by TennisRecruiting.net, will make a short 60-mile journey and play for Wake Forest University at Winston-Salem, N.C.
Kathryn Talbert will be in Winston Salem in '09
© Doug Wrege, TennisRecruiting.net
"I felt most comfortable at Wake Forest," said the 17-year-old Talbert, who also considered
North Carolina and
Florida State. "I got along with the team, and the campus is beautiful. I really want to see how I can develop my game. Hopefully, by next season, I will be able to develop it a lot."
One other factor came into play for Talbert's decision to sign this week with Wake Forest - assistant coach Jon Stokke. Talbert trained at the Smith-Stearns Tennis Academy at Hilton Head, S.C., for three years with Stokke on the staff.
Bruce Hawtin, who also coached Talbert, believes his protege will make a mark on the college tennis scene.
"She's an absolute powerhouse of a player," said Hawtin, a native of Australia who lives in Davidson, N.C. "Kat is a bright kid. She has so much potential, it's scary. She strikes her forehands and backhands as well as anyone on the pro tour. If she can get to a place where she's pushed, she will do better than she ever imagined."
