CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini women’s tennis head coach Evan Clark has announced the addition of rising sophomore transfer McKenna Schaefbauer to the program. The Normal, Ill., native played her freshman season at South Carolina following a high school career at Hilton Head Prep (SC).
During her decorated prep career, Schaefbauer was the 2018 Illinois 1A singles state champion, the 2019 State Farm Female Athlete of the Year (central Illinois) and was tabbed the No. 1 recruit in Illinois and No. 14 overall recruit in the class of 2022 (via TennisRecruiting.net). She was a semi-finalist in the Naples PTT Women’s 25k as well as a doubles finalist in both the Norman Oklahoma Women’s 15k and 2020 Orange Bowl International.
In her season as a Gamecock, Schaefbauer posted a 6-9 overall singles record, playing to a 4-3 record in dual play between the No. 5 and 6 spots. She worked to a 4-10 overall doubles record, which included a 2-3 mark in dual play between No. 2 and 3. South Carolina went 13-11 during the 2023 campaign, including an 8-5 record in SEC play and made an at-large appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
McKenna is the daughter of Skipp and Nicole Schaefbauer and has a sister, Isabel.
Why she chose Illinois: “I chose Illinois because of the unique combination of quality academics and a track record of excellence on the court. Being from central Illinois, I have had the opportunity to train at the Atkins Tennis Center as a junior player and know the athletic department is full of wonderful people. This was reaffirmed on my official visit to campus as the coaching staff, facility staff, and team were welcoming and enthusiastic. I am grateful for the opportunity to represent my home state and look forward to being a part of the Illinois women’s tennis program!”
Clark on adding McKenna Schaefbauer: “We could not be more excited to add McKenna to the Fighting Illini Women’s Tennis family. We believe it’s all about the fit and McKenna is an excellent fit for our program. We are so happy things have worked out and she will be wearing the orange and blue next fall. It’s rare in our sport to have the ability to add a local student-athlete. McKenna grew up close to Champaign, played tennis at Atkins as a kid, and her connection to the University of Illinois is something very special. We know she will take great…
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