Bennettsville, SC
Inducted December 3, 1994
CHRIS COVINGTON IS A NATIVE SOUTH CAROLINIAN WHO HAS PLAYED TENNIS FOR THE PAST 65 YEARS. SHE FIRST BEGAN PLAYING AT THE AGE OF 10 WHEN SHE BEGAN TEACHING HERSELF THE GAME, WHICH RESULTED IN UNORTHADOX, BUT EFFECTIVE STROKES.
SHE ATTENDED FURMAN UNIVERSITY WHERE SHE AND SEVERAL FRIENDS HELPED FORM ONE OF THE FIRST WOMEN’S TEAMS IN ALL OF COLLEGE ATHLETICS. THEY TRAVELED WITH THE MEN’S TEAM & FOUND MATCHES WHEREVER THEY COULD. SINCE THEN SHE HAS COMPETED ON THE STATE, SOUTHERN, & NATIONAL LEVELS.
SHE FIRST BECAME RANKED IN THE STATE IN 1972 WHEN SHE WAS THIRD IN THE 35’S DOUBLES. BETWEEN 1972 & 1973 SHE WAS RANKED FIRST IN THE STATE IN HER AGE DIVISION 24 TIMES & SECOND 8 TIMES, MANY WHILE PLAYING IN YOUNGER AGE DIVISION BECAUSE THERE WERE NOT ENOUGH PLAYERS TO COMPETE AT HER AGE LEVEL. SHE WAS RANKED NUMBER ONE IN THREE DIVISIONS (35 DOUBLES, 45 SINGLES, & 45 DOUBLES) IN 1976. SHE AND PARTNER JOHN FOWLER WERE RANKED NUMBER ONE IN THE STATE IN THE 65’S MIXED DOUBLES FOR SIX STRAIGHT YEARS BETWEEN 1987 & 1992. HER LAST NUMBER ONE STATE RANKING WAS THE 1992 65’S MIXED DOUBLES; SHE AND FOWLER WERE RANKED SECOND IN 1993.
CHRIS HAS RECEIVED SEVERAL NUMBER ONE SOUTHERN RANKINGS, INCLUDING THE WOMEN’S 55 SINGLES IN 1976 & 1977 AND THE WONEN’S 60 SINGLES & DOUBLES IN 1979. SHE WAS RANKED SIXTH IN THE NATION IN THE WOMEN’S 55 SINGLES IN 1977, HER HIGHEST NATIONAL RANKING.
CHRIS PLAYED ON THE SOUTH CAROLINA SENIOR CUP TEAM TWO YEARS WHEN SHE WAS IN THE 65’S. SHE PLAYED ON THREE SENIOR USTA LEAGUE TEAMS.
COVINGTON COMPETED IN THE NATIONAL 75 CLAY COURT CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HOUSTON IN 1994. AFTER LISING TO THE TOP SEED IN THE FIRST FOUND, SHE MADE IT TO THE FINALS OF THE FEED-IN CONSOLATION TO FINISH SIXTH. THE TOP SEEDED PLAYED, THE LEGENDARY DODO CHENEY, WENT ON TO WIN THE TOURNAMENT, BUT STATED THAT HER 6-3, 6-2 WIN OVER COVINGTON WAS HER TOUGHEST MATCH OF THE WEEK. SHE ALSO LOST TO CHENEY AND HER PARTNER IN DOUBLES, BUT WON THE FEED-IN CONSOLATION TO FINISH FIFTH.
SHE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE FURMAN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME IN 1995. SHE CONTINUES TO ENCOURAGE PLAYERS AT ALL LEVELS IN THE BENNETTSVILLE AND SURROUNDING AREA, AND IS KNOWN AS A PLAYER WHO LOVES THE GAME AND CONTINUES TO PLAY REGULARLY AT AGE 76.
