Oldest Record in the Book: Navarro Wins All But One

This is the 13th in a series of stories about the oldest records at Harding University. Today's record is from the women's tennis program, which began at Harding in the early 1990s.

A collegiate tennis competition (called a dual match) begins with three doubles matches followed by six singles matches to determine the team winner. For many years, each match counted as one point, and the first team to win five matches clinched the team victory. Today, the doubles portion counts as one point and each singles match counts as a point. The first team to four points earns the team victory.

Before each match, coaches submit a lineup with the three doubles teams listed in order of ability and six singles players listed in order of ability. The system is designed to have each team's No. 1 singles player meet the other team's top player and on down the lineup.

The oldest single-season Harding record still on the books comes from 1994 when Claudia Navarro, a freshman from Veracruz, Mexico, went 14-1 in dual singles matches for a .933 winning percentage, still a record 26 years later.

What might make Navarro's record even more impressive and unusual is that she played at least one match at all six singles positions during the 1993-94 tennis season. Most of her matches, and her only loss, came at No. 5, where she was 6-1.

Navarro also had an outstanding 21-5 doubles record that season, teaming with Melody Miller for 18 of those matches, including 14 of the wins.

Under head coach David Elliott, the 1993-94 Harding women went 20-5 overall and won its second straight Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference championship with a perfect 8-0 record. The Lady Bisons ended the season ranked 12th nationally in NAIA.

Navarro compiled a 65-19 career singles record to rank 10th at Harding in singles wins. She is also seventh with 62 career doubles wins.

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