Athletics Hall of Fame Spotlight: Tony Stephenson ’13

Westminster College Athletics will recognize the 2018 Hall of Fame class Oct. 20 as part of Homecoming weekend. Leading up to the Hall of Fame ceremony, Westminster will recognize one of the five inductees.

Stephenson graduated Magna Cum Laude from Westminster in May of 2013. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the St. Louis Intercollegiate Hall of Fame for his athletic accomplishments within the conference.

“I will never forget my time at Westminster College,” said Stephenson. “Strangers became classmates, classmates became friends, and many of those friends became family.  I still remain in contact with a number of individuals I graduated with today, which shows that family-oriented environment Westminster provides to its students.  The close-knit environment that Westminster provides is something I wanted when first looking at colleges many years ago, and I can say that Westminster delivered.”

Stephenson was a men’s tennis player at Westminster from 2009-13 and was a dominant force for all his four years. He was a four-time All-Conference award winner in all four of his seasons in both singles and doubles play, including First Team honors in his freshman and sophomore seasons. 

In his freshman year, Stephenson was named both the SLIAC Newcomer of the Year and the SLIAC Player of the Year. In his sophomore season, he was able to capture his second straight Player of the Year award. Stephenson also earned Academic All-Conference honors in all three years he was eligible for the award. 

In his first two years, Stephenson played at the No. 1 spot and helped his team to first-place finishes in the conference and NCAA Tournaments bids in 2010 and 2011. The team finished second in 2012, but returned to its winning ways in 2013 but posting another first-place finish. 

The first-place victory in 2011 remains one of Stephenson’s favorite memories at Westminster. “It was decided that teams would be playing indoors for the Conference Tournament my sophomore year,” he recalls. “There were only four courts for six teams and the tournament lasted into the early hours of the morning.  We finally clinched the Conference Title around 3:00 a.m.”     

2013 SLIAC Tourn.

Stephenson is currently a transaction coordinator at Veterans United Home Loans in Columbia, Missouri.

While he saw great success at Westminster, Stephenson credits many individuals for help along the way. “I have many people to be thankful for during my time at Westminster,” said Stephenson. “Another inductee this year, Coach Jeff Borengasser, saw potential in me before I even arrived on campus.  Coach would frequently follow-up with me as part of the recruiting process and followed me my senior year of high school as I made my run to State.  I could tell he saw more in me than just a great tennis player and I can’t thank him enough for the opportunity he presented me at Westminster.  I also want to thank Dr. Angela Bowzer, as she was always pushing me in the classroom.  Even at a time when I was overwhelmed with schoolwork and my tennis schedule, she never let me take the easy way out and continued to push me to be better.  Dr. Bowzer was a big reason as to why I was successful as a student-athlete.”