Hall of Fame
Martha Coates Walters is the second member of Lois Blackburn Bryan’s late 1980s tennis juggernaut program to be selected to the Mary Baldwin Athletics Hall of Fame, joining 2010 inductee and teammate Karin Whitt. Other former tennis standouts in the hall of fame include Cindy Goeltz Willkomm ’66, Nancy Louise Falkenberg Muller ’67 and Mary Hotchkiss Leavell ’73.
Coates Walters was a three-time selection to compete in the NCAA Division III individual championship (1985-87).She finished second in the ODAC singles championship tournament in 1984 to earn her first all-conference nod, a second team position. The following year, she won her first ODAC singles crown, which also earned her a berth on the all-conference first team and her first trip to the NCAA championships.
In 1986, she repeated her 1985 accomplishments and advanced to the national quarterfinals, finishing sixth in Division III and earning her first Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association (ITCA) All-American award.
She finished her career with another ODAC singles title and competed in the NCAA singles and doubles championship with Mary Baldwin Hall of Famer Karen Whitt. She was named the ODAC Player of the Year as well as the 1987 Mary Baldwin Athlete of the Year.
