University of North Texas Athletics
Signing Class Takes Program To New Heights
11/20/2018 11:46:00 AM | Women's Tennis
DENTON — Mean Green tennis head coach Sujay Lama announced the signing of three highly touted and experienced incoming freshmen to his roster who will elevate the program the moment they come to Denton.
A Junior International Tennis Federation top-200 ranked signee and two signees who are ranked in the top 20 in their respective countries will join the team this fall after signing their National Letters of Intent this week.
"I am very excited about this class," Lama said. "These ladies possess the talent but back it up with work ethic and desire to improve each day. They have great attitude and infectious personality and are tremendous student-athletes. Most importantly they are super excited to be part of the Mean Green family and want to help continue taking this program to new heights."
The three incoming freshmen will continue to build off what has been some of the most successful seasons in Mean Green tennis history, and will join a program that has set program records the past two seasons.
Hala Khaled Badwy
Hala Khaled Badwy comes to North Texas with a career-high Junior ITF world-ranking of 157. A left-handed player who is the No. 1 ranked player in her home nation of Egypt for all junior age groups, she is expected, like the other two signees, to hit the ground running. Along with her vast experience, Badwy will add a unique style and advantage to the UNT team that is positioning itself for a fourth conference championship in eight years.
"Hala is an aggressive player with a vast array of shots," Lama said. "She has a huge advantage being left-handed and uses her serve to set up points effectively. Her experience at the highest international arena will be a huge asset to our team. I see her making an immediate impact for our program with her all court game and fight."
Among many athletic and academic achievements, the Cairo, Egypt, native placed third in singles and doubles in the African Junior Championship U18 in 2018 and was a finalist in the African Junior Championship U16 in singles and a third-place finish in doubles in 2016.
She won the African Youth Olympic Games in singles and doubles competition. Badwy qualified twice for the Junior World Cup and was honored as the "Best Player In Egypt" in 2017.
"I chose UNT because I felt at home," Badwy said. "The spirit of the team and the university is so strong. I felt so comfortable with coach Lama and coach Hammond, and all the students were so friendly and lovely."
Sophia Hummel
Similar to Badwy and all of the Mean Green's signings, incoming freshman Sophia Hummel will be factor for opponents the moment she begins competition in 2019. A mature power player who has seen tremendous success in her home country of Germany, Hummel has already seen success in the United States, training at the Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Ration, Florida, where she honed her skills and power. A high-achieving student-athlete, like all three of the newcomers, Hummel is set to help lead the Mean Green to another championship.Â
"I chose UNT because I felt like this is the place where I could achieve my goals," Hummel said. "UNT made me feel most at home and comfortable along with having amazing facilities and great coaches."
Along with being the No. 7 ranked player for her age group in Germany, the Bissingen native is the No. 144 overall player in Germany. She placed second at the state championship U21s this year. A stellar student, she has been ranked No. 1 in her graduating class.Â
"Sophia has natural power and ability to dictate play and assert her game from all parts of the court," Lama said. "She is a strong athlete who is willing to move forward to end points. Most impressive quality is her maturity and thoughtfulness. She will be a factor from day one for the Mean Green and I see her developing her game rapidly."
Louisa Junghanns
German Louisa Junghanns is the Mean Green's final signee this November. The 17-year-old who won't turn 18 until February is a superior athlete that uses her athletic skills on the court to be a dominate tennis player. In addition to her athleticism, Junghanns will bring a fighting spirit to the UNT team, which Lama is excited about and fits in with his holistic coaching style.Â
An incredibly intelligent young woman, Junghanns will come to North Texas knowing how to speak three languages (Spanish, Italian and French) fluently in addition to English and her native tongue of German.Â
A competitive tennis player, Lama sees Junghanns being a difficult battle for future opponents.Â
"Louisa is a natural athlete and very disciplined and focused," Lama said. "She has great foot-speed and can track balls down and impose others with her physicality. She has a tremendous fighting spirit and that will certainly inspire her teammates. I see her being a tough out every single time she steps out to play for the Mean Green."
Ranked as high as No. 20 for her age group in Germany, the Munich native is currently ranked No. 147 in her homeland and earlier this year was a quarterfinalist at the National German Junior Masters tournament.Â
"For me the most important reason for my decision where I want to go are the people," Junghanns said. "When I visited UNT I was immediately fascinated by coach Lama, coach Hammond and the team. They were so nice and I felt comfortable immediately. I loved the atmosphere inside and around the team. The athletic, medical and academic support staff were great as well. I am looking forward to spending my next four years at the University of North Texas with my Mean Green tennis family and making amazing memories."
A Junior International Tennis Federation top-200 ranked signee and two signees who are ranked in the top 20 in their respective countries will join the team this fall after signing their National Letters of Intent this week.
"I am very excited about this class," Lama said. "These ladies possess the talent but back it up with work ethic and desire to improve each day. They have great attitude and infectious personality and are tremendous student-athletes. Most importantly they are super excited to be part of the Mean Green family and want to help continue taking this program to new heights."
The three incoming freshmen will continue to build off what has been some of the most successful seasons in Mean Green tennis history, and will join a program that has set program records the past two seasons.
Hala Khaled Badwy
Hala Khaled Badwy comes to North Texas with a career-high Junior ITF world-ranking of 157. A left-handed player who is the No. 1 ranked player in her home nation of Egypt for all junior age groups, she is expected, like the other two signees, to hit the ground running. Along with her vast experience, Badwy will add a unique style and advantage to the UNT team that is positioning itself for a fourth conference championship in eight years.
"Hala is an aggressive player with a vast array of shots," Lama said. "She has a huge advantage being left-handed and uses her serve to set up points effectively. Her experience at the highest international arena will be a huge asset to our team. I see her making an immediate impact for our program with her all court game and fight."
Among many athletic and academic achievements, the Cairo, Egypt, native placed third in singles and doubles in the African Junior Championship U18 in 2018 and was a finalist in the African Junior Championship U16 in singles and a third-place finish in doubles in 2016.
She won the African Youth Olympic Games in singles and doubles competition. Badwy qualified twice for the Junior World Cup and was honored as the "Best Player In Egypt" in 2017.
"I chose UNT because I felt at home," Badwy said. "The spirit of the team and the university is so strong. I felt so comfortable with coach Lama and coach Hammond, and all the students were so friendly and lovely."
Sophia Hummel
Similar to Badwy and all of the Mean Green's signings, incoming freshman Sophia Hummel will be factor for opponents the moment she begins competition in 2019. A mature power player who has seen tremendous success in her home country of Germany, Hummel has already seen success in the United States, training at the Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Ration, Florida, where she honed her skills and power. A high-achieving student-athlete, like all three of the newcomers, Hummel is set to help lead the Mean Green to another championship.Â
"I chose UNT because I felt like this is the place where I could achieve my goals," Hummel said. "UNT made me feel most at home and comfortable along with having amazing facilities and great coaches."
Along with being the No. 7 ranked player for her age group in Germany, the Bissingen native is the No. 144 overall player in Germany. She placed second at the state championship U21s this year. A stellar student, she has been ranked No. 1 in her graduating class.Â
"Sophia has natural power and ability to dictate play and assert her game from all parts of the court," Lama said. "She is a strong athlete who is willing to move forward to end points. Most impressive quality is her maturity and thoughtfulness. She will be a factor from day one for the Mean Green and I see her developing her game rapidly."
Louisa Junghanns
German Louisa Junghanns is the Mean Green's final signee this November. The 17-year-old who won't turn 18 until February is a superior athlete that uses her athletic skills on the court to be a dominate tennis player. In addition to her athleticism, Junghanns will bring a fighting spirit to the UNT team, which Lama is excited about and fits in with his holistic coaching style.Â
An incredibly intelligent young woman, Junghanns will come to North Texas knowing how to speak three languages (Spanish, Italian and French) fluently in addition to English and her native tongue of German.Â
A competitive tennis player, Lama sees Junghanns being a difficult battle for future opponents.Â
"Louisa is a natural athlete and very disciplined and focused," Lama said. "She has great foot-speed and can track balls down and impose others with her physicality. She has a tremendous fighting spirit and that will certainly inspire her teammates. I see her being a tough out every single time she steps out to play for the Mean Green."
Ranked as high as No. 20 for her age group in Germany, the Munich native is currently ranked No. 147 in her homeland and earlier this year was a quarterfinalist at the National German Junior Masters tournament.Â
"For me the most important reason for my decision where I want to go are the people," Junghanns said. "When I visited UNT I was immediately fascinated by coach Lama, coach Hammond and the team. They were so nice and I felt comfortable immediately. I loved the atmosphere inside and around the team. The athletic, medical and academic support staff were great as well. I am looking forward to spending my next four years at the University of North Texas with my Mean Green tennis family and making amazing memories."
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