That’s when the Mississaugan discovered her grades weren’t quite up to snuff.
So, University of Georgia coach Jeff Wallace placed her at little-known Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC), in Tifton, Georgia.
The rest, as they say, is history.
The intention was to have the five-foot-eight left hander transfer from college, after two years, to the home of the Bulldogs.
However, Lalewicz has taken to the small-college atmosphere, where she's rapidly becoming a star, and the one-time Ontario Racquet Club member is now considering staying there for the long haul.
Lalewicz is entering her second year at the school as the No. 1-ranked junior college player in the U.S. The sophomore won the 2007 ITA National Small College Championship in Mobile, Alabama, and hasn’t looked back.
Since the spring season began, Lalewicz has yet to lose a match, and recently defeated Nachell Proctor of Florida’s Hillsborough Community College, who's ranked third nationally.
That's not bad for someone who, one year ago, hadn't even heard of ABAC.
Now Lalewicz is one of the most popular Fillies (school teams' nickname) on campus.
“She is a world-class player,” ABAC Fillies coach Alan Kramer told the Tifton Gazette. “She is a top college athlete at any level of play.”
Lalewicz has also shown true sportsmanship while winning, being rewarded the James O’Hara Sargent Sportsmanship Award at last year’s small college championships.
It was at home, in Mississauga, that Lalewicz became accustomed to winning.
She was the top player in Ontario in the under-12, -14, -16 and -18 age groups and was ranked first in Canada as an under-16 player in both singles and doubles.
In the top 150 in singles play in the International Tennis Federation rankings, Lalewicz represented Canada at the Junior Fed Cup at the age of 16.
Despite experiencing success both nationally and internationally, Lalewicz admitted to jitters when she accepted the scholarship.
“When I first arrived in Tifton, I was very nervous as I did not know what to expect. Living here for almost a year now, I have grown to really enjoy the small-town atmosphere as I am used to a much bigger city,” said Lalewicz. “I was blown away by the friendliness of this town and Tifton has definitely exceeded my expectations.
“My year at ABAC as a student has gone great. Last semester, I finished with a 3.29 GPA.”
Lalewicz says she owes much to her coach.
“Coach Kramer is not just an extraordinary coach, but person as well. He has helped me and the team tremendously, on and off the court,” said Lalewicz. “Every day he strives to make us better players and people, while having fun at the same time. I couldn’t have asked for a better coach.”
