Playing in a spot she's rarely been in before, Hillsdale College junior Sarah Hackman came through in a big way for the Charger women's tennis team on Saturday.
That helped Hackman earn recognition from the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, which on Wednesday afternoon announced that Hackman had earned G-MAC Women's Tennis Player of the Week honors.
It's the third G-MAC player of the week honor for Hackman in her career, who's earned one in each season now as a freshman, sophomore and junior.
Facing a tough Purdue Northwest team and in a match that was decided by the narrowest of 4-3 margins, Hackman picked up two critical wins for the Chargers, teaming with Hannah Cimpeanu to win No. 1 doubles 6-2 over the Pride.
Then, in just her fourth match as a No. 1 singles player at Hillsdale, Hackman beat a tough opponent in Purdue Northwest's Sienna Lopez 6-4, 6-4 to secure a second point that would be the deciding factor in the match.
A first-team All-G-MAC player in 2019 as a freshman, Hackman has been a critical part of the Charger women's tennis team since she arrived on campus. Though she's only played at No. 1 singles four times, she's 3-1 in those matches, and she's been a consistent presence at No. 1 doubles with Cimpeanu for multiple seasons now.
Hackman and the Chargers host a tough Ferris State team on Sunday for their next match.
Photo by Summer Fields