University of Tennessee Athletics
An Inspirational Night At The VOLSCARS
April 13, 2015 | Men's Tennis
By Brian Rice KNOXVILLE, Tenn.
UTSports.com
The student-athletes of the University of Tennessee celebrated a successful year on the field and court, entertained with video features and remembered the friend that left them during this athletic year Monday night at the Knoxville Convention Center.
Men's tennis student-athletes took home three of the four individual male awards including the National Champion doubles team of Mikelis Libietis and Hunter Reese being named male athlete of the year.
With their accomplishment, Karl was not far from their minds.
"I want to thank the University of Tennessee for giving me the opportunity to represent it for the last four years it's been a blessing," Libietis said. "When you come to college, you want to be a national champion in your sport and we did it. I tribute this to Sean Karl. I wish he was here and I love him."
An emotional Reese had a simple follow-up before lightening the mood in his typical fashion.
"That sums it up," he said. "I want to thank Mikelis, I couldn't have done it without him. Mostly because it's doubles, so I needed him."
Karl signed with Tennessee as one of the most highly-decorated tennis players the state had ever produced. Before coming to UT, he was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare bone cancer that required aggressive treatment and left his tennis career in doubt. After a cancer-free declaration, he returned to play for the Volunteers in the fall of 2013.
But the cancer returned and so did Karl's fight. At the time of last year's ceremony, he was undergoing treatment but still practicing with the team when he could. The Volunteers shaved their heads to match his prior to the ceremony. Karl's fight got tougher as last summer and fall went on, his teammates by his side throughout the journey. He passed away on Nov. 16 and was remembered with a memorial service at the Goodfriend Tennis Center on the center court that now bears his name.
The Most Inspirational award took a year off at the ninth edition of the Volscars, a video tribute to Karl in its place.
Justin Karl addressed the crowd, thanking his Tennessee family for being so supportive of his brother throughout his fight and for supporting his family in the time that has followed his passing. Reese presented Justin Karl and his family with an "I will give my all for Tennessee today" sign in honor of Sean Karl's memory.
Reese took home honors as Mr. Tennessee, sharing the stage with women's basketball's Cierra Burdick, who was named Miss Tennessee.
"The four years that I have been able to spend here have been some of the best times of my life," Burdick said. "It's been up and down, but I've grown from it, I've matured as a person, a player and a child of God. I don't think I could ask for anything more from my college career."
Reese accepted his award by first thanking his teammates, including Karl.
"This means a lot to me," he said. "It's really special to get Mr. Tennessee. I want to thank my coaches for bringing me here. That was truly the best decision I've ever made."
