Saint Mary's Athlete of the Year: Cook ends two successful years with championship
By KATIE McVOY
Associate Sports Editor
Sad circumstances brought her to Saint Mary's, but senior Natalie Cook will leave with a smile.
Cook, who came to Saint Mary's after the death of her tennis coach, wrapped up two years of personal and athletic success last Saturday with a team conference tennis championship, an individual tennis championship and public recognition for an attitude her teammates have been aware of all along.
"[Natalie] is a tremendous leader and a great role model," doubles partner Annie Knish said. "That's probably why she won the sportsmanship award. There is no athlete more deserving."
Cook received the Sue Little sportsmanship award from the MIAA Saturday, the same day the Belles tennis team won Saint Mary's first league championship in any sport.
"[Natalie's] not give up attitude, her cheering on her other teammates when they were still playing and giving them words of encouragement have been a great help to the team," head coach Dee Stevenson said.
Cook transferred to Saint Mary's from Taylor University after her sophomore year, following the death of her tennis coach at that university.
"After he died I started thinking about family, and my parents live an hour from [Saint Mary's] and I wanted to be closer," she said.
The year Cook transferred to Saint Mary's, hers was not the only new face in the athletic department.
That same year Saint Mary's welcomed new golf coach Theresa Pekarek and new head tennis coach Stevenson. As the coaches adjusted to the teams, so did Natalie.
The results of this past tennis season prove Cook made the adjustment well. As the only senior on the squad, Cook faced her share of difficulties, but left feeling like a success.
"It was good because I felt like people respected me," Cook said. "But at the same time, I felt people couldn't relate to what I was going through."
Cook teamed with Knish to take home the No. 1 doubles championship in the MIAA tournament last weekend. Despite early season losses, the pair came together as teammates and friends to bring home the victory.
"At the beginning of the season we were losing together," Cook said. "Then our chemistry picked up. We're both really fired up and aggressive and we attack the net."
"Sharing that honor [of winning the championship] with Natalie was wonderful, especially since we're really good friends," Knish added.
In addition to finishing with a doubles championship, Cook placed third in No. 2 singles at the MIAA championship, defeating Kalamazoo's Jodi Kite and earning a place on first team All-MIAA.
Cook and the Saint Mary's tennis team's journey to the top did not come without struggle. When Cook arrived at Saint Mary's last year, the tennis team was in disarray
The coach who began the 1999 season was fired. The players now faced the challenge of learning how to play under Stevenson, as well as welcoming a new junior who had been playing tennis at another school.
The Belles rose to the occasion. A second place finish in the MIAA was aided by Cook who teamed up with senior Becky Kremer to claim a No. 2 doubles championship and a place on second team All-MIAA.
Cook's MIAA honors, however, are not limited to tennis.
Cook also earned All-MIAA honors in golf in 1999. As a junior, she placed in the top 10 of the MIAA and was named second team All-MIAA. Cook's 89.1 stroke average helped her team finish third.
This fall, Cook, an elementary education major, could not participate fully in golf because she was student teaching in the fall. Loyal to her team, however, she made any meets she could.
For all the success that Cook has brought to the Saint Mary's athletic department, sports at Saint Mary's have been even more important to Cook's success at Saint Mary's. When she transferred in as a junior, she was worried she would have difficulty adjusting to her new environment. Athletics helped assuage her fears.
"Sports has created an atmosphere in my life where I'm busy but I have a good time," she said. "They help us try to learn to play our best and most importantly, it's an honest atmosphere. No one is out there playing just for herself."
The days when Cook will be playing college tennis may be over, but she won't ever let go of her racket. With a background like Cook's, letting go just can't happen.
Since she was 10, Cook's parents had been helping her with her tennis skills. Although she learned from a tennis pro at a local racket club, the tennis court in her parent's back yard didn't hurt.
Cook came to Saint Mary's as the youngest of six, all of whom played tennis.
"There was a lot of competition at home," Cook said. "Some of us got very competitive, especially in high school. It was always hard for my mom and dad to know who to root for."
After receiving a degree in elementary education with an endorsement in kindergarten, Cook will take the summer off to work at the Notre Dame Warren Golf Course.
She hopes to find a job at a local elementary school in the fall. Cook will move from shaping a team into a champion to shaping the minds of a younger generation.
All Sports Stories for Friday, May 18, 2001
