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It’s not everyday that athletes get to sign on their senior night, which gives these two Gulfport Admirals double the reason to celebrate.
Gulfport tennis players Smith Walker and Laurel Dennis celebrated the end of their high school careers at senior night before hosting their matches against D’Iberville.
Once the matches were complete, the festivities were still in full swing.
Walker Smith officially put pen to paper at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College where he will continue to have a racket in hand.
As for Laurel Dennis, she’s hanging the racket up for just a bit as she signs to play beach volleyball for the University of Southern Mississippi.
Both athletes are continuing their family’s legacy in some way by continuing their sports careers. Walker said, “It’s very exciting to me because first off it’s my dream school and my dad and my grandfather both played tennis growing up, so just carrying on that legacy kind of like a dream come true.”
Dennis said, “Out of all of the sports I’ve played, beach volleyball has been my favorite, so that’s what I decided I wanted to play in college. I chose to go to Southern Miss because I’m really close with my family so I wanted to stay close to home and my dad also played football there so I felt like it would be special for me to also get to play a sport there.”
To make the night extra special, Walker and Dennis closed out their final game at home by being doubles partners for the first time ever.
