Athletics Hall of Fame Spotlight: Kendall White ’94

Kendall White’s dominance on St. Andrew’s tennis courts began earlier than most. As a seventh grader, she played at No. 2 singles on the varsity team, with her senior sister Sydney White ’89 as the No. 1. 

“That’s an experience that I will never forget,” Kendall said. “Ms. [Ruth] Faison was a great coach – very positive, calm, and a great motivator. Being on a team and representing your school is an experience that you’ll never forget.

“Anyone could pop out the side door and watch matches for a few minutes,” Kendall said. “I have vivid memories of all my teachers watching the team’s matches at some point. I also remember watching some of my teammate's close matches and cheering them on – it’s funny how you don’t remember who won or lost, just the excitement and suspense.”

Kendall – and her Lion teams – won a lot.

She was part of teams that won back-to-back Potomac Valley Athletic Conference (PVAC) Championships in 1992 and 1993. Individually, she earned All-League Honors and was an Honorable Mention All-Met selection as a senior. Kendall would go on to play Division I tennis at the University of Virginia where she was a member of the 1997 ACC Champion doubles team.

Now, she is a member of the St. Andrew’s Athletics Hall of Fame.

“It is a great honor to be inducted into the Hall of Fame,” Kendall said. “The St. Andrew’s community is a special place and being inducted makes me feel like I should keep striving to be an even better coach and teammate.” 

She is currently the varsity tennis coach at National Cathedral School, still utilizing the lessons learned as a St. Andrew’s athlete. 

“Learning how to be mentally tough,” Kendall said when asked what from her playing days carried over to today. “Ms.Faison was always good at helping me settle down and refocus if I got too excited during matches and started over-hitting or rushing points. It’s easy to say play one point at a time, but doing it takes practice. Just as important as being mentally tough is having fun – the feeling of crushing a backhand down the line or celebrating with your doubles partner after a crazy point. Enjoying practice and competing.”