All your favorite teams and sources in one place

Build your feed

Your Teams.
All Sources.

Build your feed

© 2024 BVM Sports. Best Version Media, LLC.

No results found.
Bellarmine women’s tennis star as impactful off court as she is on it
Bellarmine University Senior Ashley Jonathan was honored this year with the Division II women’s Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. The senior has done a number of different charitable work in and around the Bellarmine University area. (Photo: Bellarmine University Athletics)

Bellarmine women’s tennis star as impactful off court as she is on it

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BVM) — Bellarmine University senior Ashley Jonathan is used to serving others. Though she mostly does this to start a competition on the tennis court, Jonathan has expanded her services beyond the confines of matches. This May, Jonathan was honored by the International Tennis Association with the Division II women’s Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. The award, which is given to both men’s and women’s tennis players at each level of the NCAA as well as the NAIA and JUCO ranks, recognizes individuals who have exhibited sportsmanship and leadership along with strong scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements.

“It was overwhelming,” Jonathan said. “I never won anything this big before so it’s just very hard for my mind to encompass the whole award because it’s a national award. … It wasn’t something I needed to be noticed for that I was doing this charity work or volunteer work. … I never thought it would go beyond the walls of the charities I was donating to with my team or Bellarmine.”

Jonathan, who is currently enrolled in summer courses at the university, was in a class when the online awards show was taking place. When her name was read as the winner, it caused a memorable reaction for both her and her parents who were watching from their home in Colorado with her brothers.

“I was watching the announcements and I started crying during one of my calls,” Jonathan said with a laugh. “My teachers were emailing me saying, ‘Are you OK? Is it too much?’ and I was like ‘No, I just got an award!’ … My family was watching from Colorado and they had it on the big screen and my brother sent me a video of my mom and dad screaming from on top of the couch and that made me really emotional too. They were really happy.”

Arthur Ashe was once quoted saying, “True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.” Much like the person whose name is enshrined on her trophy, Jonathan has that similar urge to help serve others at whatever cost.

The need to help others has been an ingrained part of Jonathan’s DNA for so long that she doesn’t truly know where it came from. Stories like ones of a younger Jonathan asking her dad if he would ever convert the garage into a makeshift homeless shelter with beds and food to her grandmother losing her in the grocery store because she ran to help an older worker stock soup cans on shelves are commonplace among the Jonathan family. It was never something she learned, though she may have improved how to help over the years, but rather her understanding the need to help fellow humans who she recognized had less than she did.

“I just think it’s natural,” Jonathan said. “I feel like that’s just always been my personality. I love giving. I love seeing people’s reactions when I’m giving to them. … I just think it’s the best thing to do is to see someone else’s day brightened.”

Early in her career at Bellarmine, Jonathan made it a point to give back to those in need. One of these services spawned when Jonathan traveled with the team to matches across the country. As the team traveled, Jonathan saw an opportunity to provide to those less fortunate by encouraging her teammates to save any of the hotel’s complimentary soaps, shampoos and other personal care supplies so they could distribute them to those in need. The team then brought the items back to the school and at the end of each season placed them into baskets they decorated before bringing them to nearby Louisville care facilities. 

“I thought my parents collect soaps for when we have guests or family members coming over or just visiting so why not give those soaps to people who really, really need them at homeless shelters,” Jonathan said.

This included one year where, for Christmas, the team filled leftover boxes from a previous donation with small gifts and wrapped them as Christmas presents. 

“We put Christmas wrapping paper over the shoe boxes,” Jonathan said. “We went to a Dollar Tree and bought gloves, hand warmers, water, granola bars like everything we could think of. We dropped those off at the homeless shelter and it was like Christmas presents even if they didn’t celebrate Christmas. It was holiday gifts I guess.”

Bellarmine University women’s tennis team helped to provide complimentary soaps and other gifts to local care facilities in the Louisville area including this trip for Christmas. (Courtesy: Ashley Jonathan)

This wasn’t the only opportunity Jonathan found to help others. At one point during her time at Bellarmine, Jonathan noticed a teammate’s car was filled with “unserviceable” tennis shoes for competition. The teammate had no intention to throw them away, but wouldn’t use them in the sport either and so Jonathan went out to find a place to donate her shoes and any other Bellarmine tennis players’ who would give them. 

“That started the whole men’s and women’s team donating all their ‘non-compete-able’ tennis shoes,” Jonathan said. “They’re expensive and they still look really nice. You can probably walk in them and they’ll probably last three or four years after.”

Jonathan generated a shoe drive for both the men’s and women’s programs and was able to gather over 80 pounds of shoes to donate to Soles4Souls, a Nashville-based charity that collects new and used shoes and redistributes them.

One of the most memorable moments of Jonathan’s giving came just this year when she gave a soap donation to St. John’s, a shelter for homeless men in Louisville. Jonathan, who typically doesn’t see the reactions of the people who receive her donations, had to hand deliver the packages due to the restrictions of COVID-19 and what she experienced was unforgettable.

“I’ll never forget this man’s reaction because he started crying,” Jonathan said. “He was about to hug me and he had his arms out and then he started flailing his arms because he was like ‘I just want to hug and kiss you right now because you don’t understand how much I love taking a shower every day.’ I take showers three times a day and don’t even think about it. It kind of really puts your life into perspective.” 

 

As if this wasn’t enough work for the student-athlete, Jonathan also had her hand in numerous smaller community programs including volunteering for the Rising Stars program by giving tennis lessons to disadvantaged youth in the city as well as Make-A-Wish Foundation and Breast Cancer Awareness.

Jonathan understands that none of her good deeds could’ve been done alone. Though she was the one who helped to organize the charity efforts, Jonathan credits her teammates for all the work they did to help those in need as well and hopes she has inspired them to go out and do it more on their own as well.

Jonathan understands that none of her good deeds could’ve been done alone. Though she was the one who helped to organize the charity efforts, Jonathan credits her teammates for all the work they did to help those in need as well and hopes she has inspired them to go out and do it more on their own as well.

 

“Even (my teammates) can see the big impact now just by getting this award they saw how much they helped too,” Jonathan said. “I have to give them credit for helping, even though I was leading it, they helped out so much. I’m hoping to give it to an undergrad so they can start facilitating it and it keeps the tradition going when I’m not there.”

On top of all her work off the court, Jonathan was also able to keep her academic and athletic careers at a high level. As the team’s No. 1 singles player this past season, Jonathan compiled a 12-5 record with three of those losses coming against Division I competition and the other two to Division II All-Americans. Perhaps more impressively was Jonathan’s play in doubles this season where she and her partner, Ava Ratcliff, went 17-1 on the season. 

 

On top of all her work off the court, Jonathan was also able to keep her academic and athletic careers at a high level. As the team’s No. 1 singles player this past season, Jonathan compiled a 12-5 record with three of those losses coming against Division I competition and the other two to Division II All-Americans. Perhaps more impressively was Jonathan’s play in doubles this season where she and her partner, Ava Ratcliff, went 17-1 on the season. 

Jonathan’s singles win total currently sits at No. 2 all-time in program history with 140, eight shy of the school record, solidifying her status as one of the best Knights players to take the court. When she approaches the record, Jonathan expects nothing less than a bandwagon of support and a lot of emotions.

At 140 wins, Jonathan is just eight wins shy from the Bellarmine women’s tennis record for most singles matches wins in a career. (Photo: Bellarmine University Athletics)

“If I beat that record, there’s going to be a lot of people,” Jonathan said. “At the point where it becomes a one match possibility, my whole family is just going to be following me. It’s going to be a lot of pressure, but the odds are in my favor of at least getting eight wins out of a full season. … It will be amazing to surpass that goal.”

Well on her way to breaking the record this year, Jonathan was told the news that all senior athletes had to endure, COVID-19 abruptly ending their season. It was something the Indianapolis native didn’t want to believe and she couldn’t contain her disappointment.

“I was holding onto every hope it wouldn’t be (canceled),” Jonathan said. “I immediately started crying. … It’s like a boulder hit. I never expected my tennis to be taken away from me. Tennis has always been something I’ve been able to rely on when I’m stressed or when I’m sad. I’ve always had my ability to play tennis and that was stripped away from me.”

Jonathan understood the decision, even though it hurt. As her coach said ‘If quitting tennis saves a life, it is 100% worth it’ and Jonathan admittedly agreed with him. But fortunately for Jonathan, the NCAA passed a decision for spring athletes to become eligible for one additional year, opening the door for her to finish her career on her terms.

“It was a roller coaster of emotions,” Jonathan said. “2020 I know has been crazy for everyone, but this has really been a roller coaster of emotions for me.”

The senior finished her undergraduate degree in exercise science this past spring and graduated Summa Cum Laude to boot. Jonathan will continue her work in the classroom as she is currently enrolled in the school’s doctorate of physical therapy three-year program. 

“It wasn’t an easy decision though,” Jonathan said. “Just because I got the eligibility I was extremely happy, but then I was like ‘Oh shoot, I have to make a decision.’ PT school is going to be so rigorous and I have seen that just in the summer session so I know it’s not going to be easy. … I’m really happy about it, but I’m also very nervous about it, but we’ll see. I’m doing it.”

Though her courseload is expected to increase tremendously, Jonathan sees it as just another hurdle for her to face.

“There’s been a lot of moments in my life and my family’s life where things have come up and obstacles have come up and if you have faith, if you have confidence and self-esteem and that in yourself a lot of the things people think they can’t get done or can’t do they can do,” Jonathan said. “Although it’s a hard decision I love tennis. I love PT school. … I need that proper closure for a tennis season.”

Jonathan helped to organize a shoe drive among Bellarmine tennis players in which they collected over 80 pounds of used shoes for the Tennessee charity Soles4Souls. (Courtesy: Ashley Jonathan)

Before the senior leaves the program, Jonathan wants to be sure that the work done by herself and her team does not fall off just because she is no longer there. Jonathan met with the school’s assistant athletic director to discuss how the charitable benefits of the program can continue as well as how the school may find ways to expand their aid through other athletic programs.

“We’ve talked about doing (the shoe drive) for all teams,” Jonathan said. “The basketball team because specifically basketball shoes are very expensive and they get new shoes all the time. Baseball, softball, soccer all the teams are going to start doing it which is really exciting. I’ll see if it’s being implemented because I’m returning for my fifth year and my goal is to at least educate my peers.”

Jonathan is humbled and honored by the award she received, but it was never about any recognition by any panel of people or organization. It was always about just giving what she could, whenever she could, to those who needed it. In the end, it’s about sending the message that anybody can do what she does, she is just a human being like anyone else.