Rachel Sollie received the Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award in May.

When Rachel Sollie visited Waco, Texas, in May with her Meridian Community College tennis teammates, she figured she was doing so with the sole intention of playing in the NJCAA women’s tennis nationals.

She left Texas as the Region III recipient of 2018 Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award after being selected during a ceremony during nationals. Sollie, along with other finalists, will attend a banquet in August in New York City and will participate in Arthur Ashe Day at the U.S. Open.

“I did not know what was going on until I sat down at our table and they told me,” Sollie, 20, said. “I just went up and took a picture, and I had no idea. I hadn’t heard of the award before, but now that I have, I’m very honored to have received it.”

The Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award is given to college tennis players recognized for their sportsmanship, leadership, and academic and athletic achievements. 

As a 7-year-old, Sollie received an Easter basket containing a tennis racket and tennis lessons. She said she quickly developed an affinity for the sport. 

“Once I started lessons, I really picked it up and loved it and kept going with it,” Sollie said. 

Sollie graduated from Meridian Community College in May with a 4.0 grade-point average and she will attend Mississippi State University in Starkville in the fall. She compiled a career 28-16 doubles record and a 28-17 singles record during her two-year MCC career.

While at MCC, Sollie received a number of academic awards and honors. She was a 2018 scholar-athlete, a member of the NJCAA First Team All-Academic team, she received the 2018 MCC Biological Sciences Award and she was a 2018 member of Phi Theta Kappa’s Most Distinguished Chapter.

“I was lucky enough to become a part of the Honors College at Meridian Community College, and that made it a lot easier to find an honor lounge to study in late at night past library hours; find a group of friends that were striving for the same academic goals as me and who had similar classes as me,” Sollie said. “Honestly, it was just a goal I had going into Meridian, to have a 4.0 GPA and do my best at tennis. I had some really awesome teachers who helped me along the way and encouraged me.”

Sollie is a 2016 graduate of West Lauderdale, where she was a member of the Lady Knights’ tennis and slow-pitch softball teams. She established a relationship with recently retired MCC tennis coach Wanda McPhail as a youngster, which led to her decision to sign with Lady Eagles.

“I grew up taking lessons out at Northeast Complex with Bill Autry, and Coach McPhail would always come by and say, ‘Hey’ and be very kind and encourage me to keep practicing, and always mention her team,” Sollie said. “So when it came time and she reached out to me, I felt like that was the way to go. I felt very comfortable with Coach McPhail and knew she would be a really awesome coach… That’s really how I made the decision.”

Sollie is the 11th MCC tennis player to receive the award since 2001.

“Rachel Sollie is so deserving of the Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award,” Wanda McPhail said in an email. “I have known Rachel for many years, but have had the privilege of coaching her for the past two years at Meridian Community College. Rachel has played tennis with some health issues for two years, but her love of the game pushed her to compete at the JuCo level.”

Although Sollie won’t play tennis for Mississippi State, she will pursue a degree in kinesiology and aspires to become a physical therapist. She said she’s excited to experience new volunteer opportunities that await her in Starkville.

“I’m really looking forward to a new chapter — so new organizations to get involved in,” Sollie said. “Of course I still want to strive to achieve that 4.0 GPA and study to my ability, and just meet a bunch of new people who I can have fun with and just enjoy life with.”

Rachel Sollie is the daughter of Tim and Becky Sollie.