Tulane Women’s Tennis
Julie Smekodub made history when she became the first Tulane women to be honored as the winner of the Sugar Bowl’s James J. Corbett Award in 2002 – she remains the only female athlete for the Green Wave to have earned the honor. Smekodub teamed with fellow freshman Jenny Kuhn to win the doubles title at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s National Indoor Championship, the first women’s tennis national championship for the Green Wave. Just a freshman at the time, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native also won the singles title at the ITA Southwest Regional and represented Tulane at the 2003 NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships in Gainesville, Fla.
The Corbett Award was created in 1967, named in honor of the late James J. Corbett and commemorates his many contributions to intercollegiate athletics and specifically to the Sugar Bowl. At the time of his death, Mr. Corbett was the Athletic Director at Louisiana State University. These awards are presented annually to the most outstanding male and female collegiate athletes in the State of Louisiana.
The Corbett recipients are selected each year by members of the New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, based on nominations submitted by the state’s sports writers, sportscasters and sports information directors.
