Edgar Ellis of Hickory, NC Commits to Play Tennis at Randolph College

Edgar Ellis, a senior at Hickory High School in Hickory, North Carolina, signed with Randolph College to play tennis for the WildCats in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Edgar Ellis, a senior at Hickory High School in Hickory, North Carolina, signed with Randolph College last Friday afternoon to play tennis for the WildCats in Lynchburg, Virginia.  Edgar has been a three-year starter in the top 4 for the Red Tornadoes and this season will play at the number one seed.  He has been a part of the last two conference championship teams and named to the last two All-Region teams as well as named to the All-Conference team all three years.  A highly-regarded doubles player, Edgar reached the 2016 state championship quarterfinals in doubles and has enjoyed USTA Southern top-10 rankings in Father-Son doubles as well as Men’s Open doubles rankings in North Carolina.  Edgar has lost only two Red Tornado team matches in singles and doubles each of the last two years with a winning percentage of 84%.  He has achieved both state and Southern USTA boys’ singles rankings in his age group over the last four years.

Edgar remarked “I am eager to start college life in the fall at Randolph and looking forward to being a part of Coach Megginson’s team.  I have enjoyed spending some time with my future teammates at Randolph, and everyone else I have met at the College is warm and caring about me as a person, a student, and an athlete.  I am ready to become a contributing member of the Randolph College community.”

"I am excited to see Edgar playing tennis in college and think that he has the skills and talent to develop further into a great college player. He is also the hardest worker I have had at the Club and that work ethic will serve him well in the next four years and after."

Bret Garnett, Director of Tennis, Lake Hickory Country Club

Edgar’s high school coach, John Hamilton, said “Edgar has been a pleasure to coach over the last four years and is a team player first and foremost.  He is both competitive with and respectful of his opponents.  His leadership and coaching skills with younger players will be missed next year.”

Edgar started playing tennis after moving to Hickory in 2006 at age 7.  He has been coached the entire time by Bret Garnett, the Director of Tennis at Lake Hickory Country Club, and a former world top-50 doubles player.  Bret has a high regard for Edgar’s future potential in both tennis and beyond.  Bret commented, “I am excited to see Edgar playing tennis in college and think that he has the skills and talent to develop further into a great college player.  He is also the hardest worker I have had at the Club and that work ethic will serve him well in the next four years and after.”

Beyond tennis, Edgar earned a significant academic scholarship to attend Randolph College, as well as a leadership scholarship earned after an in-person interview with a panel of Randolph faculty.  He was also the recipient of a STEM grant scholarship, awarded to only 24 incoming freshmen at Randolph.  He will be starting his college career two weeks early to earn a three-hour credit for a STEM class.  He has not yet declared a major but will be focused on science in preparation for medical school.

Edgar is the son of Crystal and Steve Ellis of Hickory, North Carolina.  Crystal works for OrthoCarolina, with expert physicians and care providers in locations throughout the region they are one of the nation’s leading orthopedic practices, including a sports medicine specialty and also the team physicians for the Carolina Panthers of the NFL.  Steve is President and CEO of Automated Solutions, a privately-held diversified manufacturing company with product lines primarily in the packaging industry with sales across the U.S. and into big box retail, including The Home Depot.  Edgar is the middle child in the family.  His older brother Clay is a freshman at LSU, and his younger sister Evie is in seventh grade at Northview Middle School in Hickory.

Randolph College is a nationally recognized, private, liberal arts and sciences institution with a career focus located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Founded in 1891 as Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, Randolph is known for its excellent academic program, diverse close-knit community, exceptional faculty, rich traditions, and growing NCAA Division III athletics program.  The Princeton Review named the College as a “Best College in the Southeast” and a “Top Fifty” college. Randolph was included in the prestigious Fiske Guide to College 2017 and appeared on several other lists as well.

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