For the third straight year in 2010-11, Julia Browne of the Tufts women's tennis team was named the NESCAC Player of the Year as voted by the conference's 11 head coaches. She was the first player in NESCAC women's tennis history to earn Player of the Year in three straight seasons.

In addition to her three conference Player of the Year honors, Browne won the 2010 NCAA Division III Singles title and was a two-time Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Small College Doubles national champion with teammate Meghan McCooey.

However, there was much more to Browne's successful career as a Jumbo.

Browne didn't just win, she did so with great sportsmanship. She was honored by the ITA in 2010 as the national recipient of the Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship. She was recognized by the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) and the ITA at a special awards luncheon held during the U.S. Open.

"This award was the most significant award Julia received because it reflected who she is as a person," Tufts coach Kate Bayard said. "She displayed the highest standard of sportsmanship and character since her first year at Tufts. Her leadership was a key to our success as a team both on the court and in terms of giving back to the community."

An NCAA Woman of the Year nominee, Browne and her teammates collected donations and fully decorated a newly subsidized apartment for a young family in March 2010. Among all of the individual and team success – the Jumbos qualified for NCAA's during each of her four seasons – this experience was the most rewarding to Browne.

"I was truly fortunate and grateful for having been able to freely pursue my tennis, academic, and career interests," she said. "However, I learned at an early age that with these privileges comes the responsibility to help improve the lives of those who have not been afforded the same advantages to succeed. We were incredibly moved when we saw the family's tears of joy as they entered their new home for the first time. No win on the court or athletic field could ever be as rewarding and gratifying as what we felt after making a tangible difference in this family's life."