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Dayna Lord: Brown's Most Decorated Women's Tennis Student-Athlete
7/1/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Dayna Lord '17 finished her career as Brown women's tennis' all-time career leader in combined wins (182) and doubles wins (90) while ranking second in career singles wins (92). The native of Bloomfield, Conn., became just the second student-athlete in the history of Brown women's tennis to earn First Team All-Ivy honors in singles in each of her four collegiate seasons.
Q: You rank first all-time at Brown in career combined wins and doubles wins and second in singles wins. What does it mean to you to have achieved those rankings considering the history of Brown women's tennis?
There have been so many great women who have come through the Brown women's tennis program. I am just happy I got to represent my school, my team, and my family playing the sport that I love. It definitely was not an easy journey, but I am glad I was healthy and able to stick it out all four years with my coaches and teammates by my side at Brown supporting me not only athletically, but personally and academically. I hope that my achievements motivate other women, especially women of color, in the coming years to use Brown to meet and connect with amazing people, and to achieve their academic, career, and athletic goals.
Q: You finished your career as Brown's second-ever four-time First Team All-Ivy student-athlete in singles. When you think about the competitiveness of the Ivy League, what does it mean to you to have reached such select company?
I think over the past four years the Ivy League has definitely gotten more athletically competitive across all sports but especially in women's tennis, which is great to see. I am glad that my other top performing Ivy League peers and I have contributed to that growth in competition. It is nice to represent Brown and the Ivy League on a national stage, and it is also a great way for families to know that their child's education and athletics can excel and be taken seriously (if it was not already). While I am proud to have reached such select company and blessed that this experience has been athletically and academically enriching for me, I also hope that it paves the way for other women, particularly women of color to also join this elite group. I hope that my Ivy League success inspires the next generation to reach for and possibly exceed these goals and benchmarks.
Q: After winning Brown Athletics' Kate Silver Award as a freshman, you became the first women's tennis student-athlete to win the department's Marjorie Brown Smith Award this past year. How does winning an award like this represent the women's tennis program?
I am glad to have put Brown women's tennis back on the map. I think it is definitely one of the most grueling, yet growing sports out there. Thus, there is a huge opportunity for schools like Brown to capitalize on the large female supply of diverse academic and athletic talent from this sport. I am just one example of what happens when a school recruits the right people and follows through by providing some sort of financial, athletic, psychological, etc. resources to support women in sports who look like me and have similar backgrounds. Although Brown is progressive in some of these areas in comparison to other Ivies and possibly other larger schools, I still believe Brown can improve. Therefore, winning this award represents how far women's tennis and the school have come athletically over the years, but I also hope it marks the beginning of Brown prioritizing the growth of the women's tennis program. Hopefully many other women's sports will follow. As one of the winningest teams on campus, it is a shame that we still struggled to compete with our peers in recruiting due to lacking tennis facilities, most notably having only four indoor tennis courts, which ultimately hindered our ability to win championships. Despite these drawbacks, as there are many for every school, I am proud to have graduated from a school with an athletic department and coach, Paul Wardlaw, that recognized my contributions to Brown and the program formally throughout the years.
Q: On top of earning All-Ivy in singles four times, you also earned All-Ivy in doubles twice. How much do you enjoy playing with and having success with your teammates?
Although I have had a lot of individual success, nothing feels better than beating a rival or ranked team in the Ivies or from around the country. After all the hard work day-in and day-out to reach long-term team goals, these victories are so much sweeter. We took pride in not only being the most diverse team in the Ivy League, but also our ability to collaborate and respect each other so everyone knows that they could make an impact and thrive together. Nothing mirrored this more for me than in doubles. When it comes to doubles, I love how much more dynamic it is in comparison to singles, and that it is a fun physical and mental warm up for both the players and fans before singles play. My partners over the past four years, Alyza Benotto and Hannah Camhi, have helped me elevate my game to new heights with new strategies and ways to improve my weaknesses and solidify my strengths. Together, our positive spirit, competitiveness, and hard work made our communication and partnership easy, which helped us become successful. I loved being on a team and miss it but will try to recreate this same environment and teamwork professionally.
Q: How did your relationships with teammates and coaches shape your Brown experience, and how do you hope others remember your time at Brown?
My relationships with my teammates and coaches are special. I hate to sound cliché, but they really are my family and I could not have done a lot of the things I've accomplished without them. I've spent most of my time with them on and off the court and we've really gotten to know and care about each other. They have been with me through my personal, academic, and athletic accomplishments and failures, good times and bad, and have continued to support me and give me advice in all my endeavors. I am very grateful to have them, as well as my talented friends outside athletics, in my corner. The people and culture at Brown was the reason I chose Brown as my school of choice, and why I am now a proud graduate; they have made my Brown experience one to remember. I hope others not only remember my athletic contributions to Brown, but also remember my identity outside of athletics as a leader, supporter and/or participant for other clubs/extracurriculars like the arts. I hope that I embodied what it truly means to be a student and also an athlete, and that I mirrored some of the confident, well-rounded, and multidimensional students I was exposed to on my recruiting visit and during my time at Brown.
Q: As a student-athlete whose sport spans both the fall and the spring semesters and as an International Relations concentrator, how did your experiences on the court and in the classroom prepare you for life after graduation?
I think being a student athlete definitely helps prepare anyone for the professional world. Many habits and characteristics of those that are great in their professional careers, regardless of their industry, are the same as the ones I have developed over time as a student-athlete at Brown and will continue to perfect as I start my life after graduation. Having time management/punctuality, setting goals and taking the steps necessary to achieve it, being a team player, having discipline, being a hard worker, building and maintaining relationships, having great communication, and having the ability to receive and give feedback are just to name a few. Employers love student-athletes for these reasons, and it will give you an edge throughout your career.
| Brown Career Combined Wins | |||
| Rank | Student-Athlete | Years | Wins |
| 1. | Dayna Lord '17 | 2013-17 | 182 |
| 2. | Bianca Aboubakare '11 | 2008-11 | 176 |
| 3. | Hannah Camhi '16 | 2012-16 | 169 |
| Brown Career Singles Wins | |||
| Rank | Student-Athlete | Years | Wins |
| 1. | Bianca Aboubakare '11 | 2008-11 | 97 |
| 2. | Dayna Lord '17 | 2013-17 | 92 |
| 3. | Hannah Camhi '16 | 2012-16 | 85 |
| Brown Career Doubles Wins | |||
| Rank | Student-Athlete | Years | Wins |
| 1. | Dayna Lord '17 | 2013-17 | 90 |
| 2. | Hannah Camhi '16 | 2012-16 | 84 |
| 3. | Bianca Aboubakare '11 | 2008-11 | 79 |
| Brown Women's Tennis: Four-Time First Team All-Ivy (Singles) | |||
| Dayna Lord '17 (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) | |||
| Saranga Sangakkara '99 (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999) | |||
