Baylor tennis players Harper Caswell, Maggie Crumbliss make college picks

photo Baylor's Maggie Crumbliss plays in a doubles match against GPS in this 2013 file photo.
photo Baylor tennis player Harper Caswell will continue her tennis career as a preferred walk on at Furman.

A pair of highly-decorated Baylor tennis players made their college decisions recently.

Harper Caswell has announced that she will be a preferred walk-on at Furman University, a Southern Conference school in Greenville, S.C., while teammate Maggie Crumbliss was accepted to and will play tennis for NCAA Division III Sewanee. The duo have been a part of a Baylor team that is 62-4 in their five-year careers, which included a 45-match streak from their sophomore year until a loss in the championship of the Decoturf National Championships in Louisville.

Caswell, whose twin sister Samantha signed with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, is a four-time Best of Preps honoree. Going to Furman will allow her to follow in the footsteps of parents Ned and Wendy, who both went to the school. Ned was a two-time All-American at the school.

Harper chose Furman over fellow SoCon school Wofford.

"It's interesting to have a new environment where I'm not one of the stronger players, and I think it'll really help me develop as a player to play with people that are levels better. I'm really excited -- I think it's going to be hard -- but I'm really excited about it," Caswell said. "I really like the smaller classes, and it's kind of like a second home to me. It's like a bigger Baylor, and I've been able to thrive here, so I think I can thrive there."

Crumbliss, who like Caswell is a five-year starter, is a three-time Best of Preps honoree. She didn't lose a match until her junior season.

"A couple of years ago, I didn't think I would be playing college tennis," Crumbliss said. "I really loved Sewanee a lot when I went up there, and I realized that I would miss tennis a lot if I wasn't playing. I'm excited about the opportunity; the team has been really successful and they seem like they're a lot of fun and I'll have fun playing there."

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6311. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.

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