SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis tennis standout Adithi Benush will play tennis and attend school at Occidental College in the fall. She is the 20th student-athlete from the Class of 2020 to make a commitment to play collegiate sports.
"I'm excited to be a part of another team environment, and be competitive with my teammates and against other schools," said Benush. "I've been playing tennis for a long time, so having the opportunity to continue in college is great."
Benush will join the Tigers Division III team coached by David Bojalad. Oxy was ranked as high as No. 18 in the final ITA poll in 2018.
"I really love the environment at Occidental, and knew I wanted to go to a smaller school around LA. I reached out to the coach after visiting, and eventually committed. My college decision was mainly based around my plans to go to graduate school. I eliminated larger universities early, and then chose between liberal arts schools based on academics and the atmosphere. I really loved Oxy after staying overnight with the tennis team."
Benush was a four-year letter winner for the Troubadours, playing across the top three singles positions in her career. She recorded 52 career wins while playing 71 matches. She helped the team to four consecutive Delta League titles, the 2017 Sac-Joaquin Section title, three Section runner-up finishes and four CIF Northern California Regional appearances.
"My SF tennis experiences meant always have a group of people to call a community, and having fantastic and supportive coaches to back us up," said Benush. "Playing tennis has been one of my favorite parts of being at St. Francis, and the team environment was the main cause of that. I also love how supportive SF is towards student-athletes, and playing has been really fun."
Benush, who lives in Sacramento, was a four-year All-Delta League selection, was named team MVP as a sophomore, won the 2018 Delta League singles title and reached Section semis as a junior and played in the Delta League finals as a senior. She was also a three-time River Cats All-City team selection.
"Adithi is a fearless competitor," said tennis coach Kristi Spector. "She is determined, dedicated and smart in the way she plays her game ... just when you think that you have her beat, she finds a way to dig deep, compete fiercely, and next thing you know she has won the match. She was an absolute pleasure to coach and watch her develop into the player and person she has become over the last four years."
Benush will major in French with a focus on pre-med path with a hope to also study linguistics.
"I'm doing fine with stay at home and online learning," said Benush. "We are all adjusting to the changes, and I appreciate my teachers' dedication to making sure we're learning without undue pressure. The hardest part is being isolated from friends and extended family."
She is finishing up her class work at St. Francis this week and looking forward to future events before heading to Southern California in the fall.
