James McDaniels

JOUR 432
Final Feature

USC womens tennis star junior Madison Westby used to play basketball
when she was younger. Her parents couldnt stand watching the sport, so
when Westby was in fifth grade, they came up with an offer for their
daughter. The agreement was that they would pay her $20 if she quit
basketball.

That seemed like I won the lottery, so I took it, Westby said.

With a basketball career no longer on the table, Westby decided to focus on

tennis. Her work has paid off tremendously as she has experienced success
both during high school and while she has attended USC pursuing a degree
in Communication.

Westbys life journey began in Oklahoma, where she was born to parents
who both had prior experience as collegiate athletes. Their backgrounds
opened the door for Westby to show a passion in tennis only months after
she was born.

I used to play tennis for fun and Madison would come along with me,
Westbys mom Leslie Westby said. She just picked up a tennis racket on her
own after I was done playing tennis and she would just hit balls as hard as
she could.

During the time Madison Westby was growing up, there were not many great
tennis players in her home state, so she had to do anything she could to find
people with which to hit. She connected with Doug Boswell, who was the
head pro at the club at which her mom played, and he began coaching her.
Even when Westby started playing tennis in high school, she didnt attend
practice with her team because she opted to practice with Boswell and play
his son.

I feel like you learn the most whenever youre able to have a coach right
behind you and youre able to play points, Westby said. They can see it at
different angles than when theyre playing.

Westbys relationship with Boswell, whom she still considers her official
coach today, wasnt the only reason Westby practiced separate from her high
school team. The competition didnt really compare to that at the national
level, so national competition was her first priority and she only played in the
tournaments she needed to in order to play state.
Playing tennis at such a high level required a major commitment that
included travel all over the United States, and Westbys parents devoted
themselves to different aspects of it to help ensure their daughters success.

I was the one that traveled with Madison and made sure she got where she
needed to be, said Leslie Westby, who mentioned there were moments
during those trips she would not trade. Her father made sure that she was
able to get where she needed to be financially. It was definitely a family
effort. Her brothers used to call it Team Madison.

While Madison Westby had a different high school tennis experience than
most players, she also achieved much more than them too. In addition to
being an honor student, Westby won the Oklahoma state championship four
times and the singles title at an ITA international event in Texas. Her
achievements earned her the title of Tulsa World Player of the Year twice, a
peak national ranking of No. 13 and the designation of a blue chip recruit.

Westby became a Trojan officially in 2014 when she entered USC as a

freshman, but her arrival had been several years in the making. She started
visiting colleges in her freshman year of high school. When she was a
sophomore, she set up visits to both USC and UCLA to meet their coaches
when she was in the area for a tournament. She scheduled to visit USC first.

The head coach of the USC womens tennis team, Richard Gallien, had been
aware of Westbys tennis statistics, but he was really impressed when he saw
her play.

Her talent was obvious, said Gallien of Westby, who is 61 tall and
considers her serve her favorite shot. A lot of times for girls who are a little
bit taller, they tend to be kind of stiff in their hands. They dont look gifted
and that was one thing, first of all, that struck me that she just seemed like
tennis came easy to her. But after that, more importantly, I was more just
struck by her charm. I just thought this is a really wonderful person and that
we would get along well.

Gallien knew he had three open scholarships for that year, so after a brief
period of contemplation, he extended an offer for Westby to play at USC. To
his knowledge, Westby is the youngest person to which the team has ever
made an offer.

I never make an offer to somebody that Im not extremely happy if they say
yes, Gallien said. A lot of coaches in different sports will make a bunch of
offers and see who sort of says yes, but ours are very, very hand-picked and
specific.

Westby took the offer immediately and canceled her visit with UCLA.
I remember sitting on the courts just being like, Mom, theres palm trees.
Westby said. Even when youre having a bad day, theres palm trees. And
I just was sold from then on.

Westby still had to go through the same application process and take the
same tests as everyone to officially get into the university. She even had to
take the ACT a second time as a high school senior because USC made the
writing portion a requirement after she had taken the exam the first time
without the writing portion.

In her first two seasons on the USC womens tennis team, Westby has
excelled. She won many honors during her freshman year, including Pac-12
Player of the Week twice, the ITA Southwest Regional Rookie of the Year and
the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. She also had the clinching singles win in
seven dual matches. It was much of the same during her sophomore year as
she earned placement on the ITA All-Academic Team and received ITA Scholar
Athlete honors. She also received honorable mentions for All-Pac-12 and
Pac-12 All-Academic, and had the clinching win in three dual matches. Her
overall record is 39-25 (.609) in singles and 36-20 (.643) in doubles, and she
finished her sophomore season ranked No. 124 in the nation.

Perhaps one of her best moments in her time here so far occurred when she
was a freshman. USC was down 0-3 to UCLA in its last matchup of the
regular season, but the Women of Troy made a run to tie it at 3-3. All USC
needed to win sole possession of the Pac-12 Championship was Westby to
win her match against UCLAs Kyle McPhillips. Westby had already been
dealing with a shoulder injury and, to make matters worse, she ended up
rolling her ankle pretty badly during the match.

West (Nott, the associate head coach) actually told me to default in that
match, said Westby, citing that Nott told her the match wasnt that
important and the national championship was what mattered. I just looked
at him and I was like, Youre nuts. Im not defaulting.

My adrenaline was just so high I guess that (it) didnt even phase me. I was
like, Im freaking winning this match. My teammates were on the side just
cheering me on. They all had me smiling on the sidelines and anyone who
knows me knows that I play my best when Im smiling and having fun.

Despite her injuries and a first set loss, Westby fought back to win the
second and third sets and clinch the Pac-12 title for her team. The moment
showcased her competitive spirit, which is something she expects not only
from herself, but from others too.
When Madison gets frustrated with others, its typically, in my view, its
typically because she doesnt think that theyre being the best people they
could be, Westbys dad Mark David Westby said. In terms of interpersonal
relationships, I think thats the only time that she gets kind of frustrated and
might come to me and Leslie for advice.

Even with all the things that being a college athlete entails, Madison Westby
still finds time to have fun and be with friends. Her best friend at USC is
fellow team member Gabrielle Smith.

Westby has known Smith since she was around nine or 10 years old. They
had become acquaintances over the years through tennis competition, but
one of the first signs of a stronger friendship to come in the future happened
at a tournament before they really knew each other.

The girl that she was staying with was not warming her up, Westby said of
Smith. I just saw Gabby crying in the corner and I was like, What the heck
is going on? I just went up and talked to her and I was like, Gabby, do
you need me to warm you up? And she was like, Yes please. Im having
such a hard time. And we just sat there and talked for like 20 minutes I
honestly felt like we gained like five years of friendship in that 20 minutes.

When Westby was given the opportunity to have a say in who should be her
teammate when a spot opened up on the womens tennis team, she
suggested Smith because of her work ethic and personality.

Once Smith arrived at USC, her relationship with Westby blossomed. The two
have been roommates since they were sophomores and they do a lot of
activities together, like watching Greys Anatomy in the office, looking at old
photos from freshman year to pass the time on their travels with the team or
going to Disneyland at the end of the semester. If Westby is around, it is
almost guaranteed Smith will be with her.

Madisons super goofy like I am, Smith said. Were dorks all the time and
just messing around. We just start dancing at random times. I think thats
why our friendship is so great is because we can be totally weird with each
other and not think were weird.

Because of Smiths major presence in Westbys life off the court, she has also
had the chance to see some of Westbys generous deeds.

Shes always willing to give and serve other people, Smith said of Westby.
Even when Madison is very pressed for time, shell always go out of her way
to help someone if they need her, even if its not benefitting her at all. Like
(in) freshman year, theres a girl who always needed a ride to the train
station and its super far. And Madison would be super busy, but shed
always go and help out with that.

The relationship between Westby and Smith is so strong that their life plans
factor in each other, despite their different career paths (Smith is majoring in
accounting). Smith said she and Westby are planning to take vacations
together with their families every year and even mentioned having
connecting houses so they could see each other every day.

As for where Westby is going after graduating from USC, she wants to have a
career in broadcast journalism. While her schedule is too busy for her to
actually major in broadcast and digital journalism, she has found the time to
get some work experience in to complement her major.

Shes had an internship with FOX Sports, Gallien said. That has taken her
over to the Coliseum on football Saturday and shes had some amazing
experiences.

Westby doesnt know if shell cover sports or politics as a broadcast

journalist, but she knows that she wants to spend at least two years in New
York City and then ultimately move back to the Midwest to a city like St.
Louis or Kansas City.

For now, Westby will continue lighting up the courts of Marks Stadium for the
Women of Troy and cementing her legacy in one of the best tennis programs
in the country. She has all the support she needs, and no matter what comes
along in life, her mindset in tennis will likely come in handy.

Theres just honestly no better feeling than knowing that youre giving your
100 percent (and) your best effort, Westby said. Its just really rewarding
knowing that all your hard work is going into one thing.