Danielle Willson

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Instagram: @daniellewillson

Collegiate Career

• Played four seasons at USC, earning bachelor’s degree in accounting in the spring
• Working toward master’s degree in accounting
• Reached as high as No. 70 in ITA singles rankings and No. 18 in doubles
• Four-time ITA Scholar-Athlete

Fall 2022 (Graduate Season at Ohio State)

• 7-3 in singles, with 4-3 doubles mark
• 3-0 at ASU Thunderbird Invitational to close the fall
• Posted two wins in qualifying to reach ITA Midwest Regionals main draw; posted Round of 64 win before falling to eventual tournament champion
• Notched first Ohio State win against Xavier in Buckeye Invitational
• 3-0 in doubles with Madeline Atway  at Buckeye Invitational

Summer 2022

• Paired with Madeline Atway, finished as runner-up in ITF 25K in Columbus

Prior to Ohio State

At USC

• Ranked as high as No. 70 in singles and No. 18 in doubles by ITA, both in 2019-20
• Earned ITA Scholar-Athlete accolades four times and was a Pac 12 Academic Honor Roll selection
• USC Female Rookie of the Year in 2019 after going 27-4 in singles
• 60-35 overall in singles, with 42-29 dual mark, and 50-41 in doubles overall, posting 34-31 dual record, over four years
• Yearly singles records overall/dual: 27-4/17-3 (2019), 12-11/5-7 (2020), 13-9/13-9 (2021), 8-11/7-10 (2022)
• Yearly doubles records overall/dual: 17-10/12-9 (2019), 13-10/4-6 (2020), 10-7/10-7 (2021), 10-14/8-9 (2022)
• Member of the Trojan Athletic Senate and had a leadership role for the women’s tennis team in 2021-22
• Awarded a position into the National Society of Leadership and Success, a three-time Marks Scholar Athlete and a three-time Accounting Leventhal Dean’s List honoree
• Captain of the Community Engagement Group for USC women’s tennis, focusing on community service opportunities

High School

• Played four years of varsity tennis in high school
• Team won CIF and regional titles for the Southern California section
• Captured CIF individual singles crown
•  2017 and 2018 High School All-American
• 2018 Southern California Tennis and Pacific Coast League MVP
• Four-time all-conference selection
• Named the Corona del Mar High School 2018 Queen Athlete of the Year

Personal

• Parents are Carol Springstead and Marvin Willson
• Brother Sean attends Southern Methodist and sister Ali goes to Indiana
• Plans to play professionally following collegiate career
• Enjoys outdoor activities, including hiking trips to the Eastern Sierras in California
• On why she became a Buckeye: “I chose to come to Ohio State for many reasons. One of the main reasons is because playing professional tennis post-collegiate career is a dream of mine. Under Melissa and Adam, I believe I can improve my game and give myself the best opportunity to succeed. Additionally, fitting in with the team here will be an easy transition because they all seem super motivated and welcoming. Lastly, Ohio State has a highly ranked MAcc Program where I can still be challenged off the court and in the classroom.”