Two-Time MIAA Player of the Year (only time in school history)
No. 1 and No. 5 in single-season wins totals by an individual
57-6 career record (Regular Season & Tournament Champs both years)
As the countdown to Homecoming and the M-Club ceremony comes to a close, Northwest's M-Club Hall of Fame will begin recognizing some of the best athletes of all time this weekend. Among those select few, is arguably the best tennis player in Northwest history.
Malcolm Harrison ventured away from the Division I route to stay close to home and dominate the MIAA for two years (2010-2011). His dominating performances moved him to the elite rank, and that's why his name will be called Saturday.
Harrison is respectfully labeled as one of the most prominent tennis players to ever come through the Northwest program. His resume is uncanny as he captured two MIAA player of the year honors in the two short years he played within the program.
His journey in the game of tennis began with his family life, as he and his brother both ventured into the collegiate tennis route. But it was their background that made them forces to be reckoned with as their parents enrolled them in tennis courses at a young age.
"He started at an early age, I think his dad got him started… he had a brother that was an outstanding player too, so it's a tennis family," Northwest head coachÂ
Mark Rosewell said. "He had rankings probably when he started when he was 12, all the way up to the USTA (United States Tennis Association)."
Coming out of Rockhurst High School as a state champion Harrison had a few offers to play at the Division I level, but took a different route by opting to go to Tyler Junior College in Texas. There he learned from one of the hotbed states for tennis before ending up back home.
Harrison decided to stay close to his Kansas City roots by going to a school that was only 114 miles from his high school stomping grounds. After a stint in Texas, it was his calling to come back and battle among the Division II's finest players. Rosewell was surprised that he was able to get him to go to Northwest because he had Division I product written all over him.
"I would probably say that he was a Division I player," Rosewell said. 'We were lucky to get him here because we were close."
Regardless of his reasons for planting his success in Maryville, he was revered as a leader. That came from his ability to do it all on the courts.
"(He lead by) example and really didn't talk too much, he used his actions," Rosewell said. "His teammates really respected him."
Harrison is on his way back to Missouri from New York, but his legacy never left the campus. Rosewell still uses him as an example to inspire future teams. Because simply he was one of the best ever to compete.
During his time back, he is stopping by the courts to talk to the team. His goal is to discuss that winning culture and what it takes to compete with the best. With an attitude like that and a Division I arsenal, there is no doubt that he belongs in the M-Club Hall of Fame.
"If I list all the great players that I have had since I have been here, he would be one of them," Rosewell said. "We are going to have a fun time this weekend, bring back memories, and he's going to talk to our team tomorrow (Friday). Just about what it takes to be champions and keep the tradition going here at Northwest."
