Humphreys sophomore Chloe Lee captured the Far East Tournament Division I and overall singles titles and the singles crown in the Korea postseason tournament. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Coming Wednesday: cross country Athletes of the Year.
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea – If good things come to those who wait, Chloe Lee hit the jackpot in October.
The Humphreys sophomore tennis player not only won the Far East Division I and overall singles titles – she became a rare DODEA player who also captured the Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference tournament singles title.
“It’s amazing,” Lee said. “I couldn’t believe that I had done that. I feel like all the hard work paid off.”
It was a double feel-good for Lee following a 2023 season in which she went unbeaten in the regular season, but was left off the team traveling to Far East on Okinawa.
She was a freshman then and there were players her senior who had paid their dues waiting in line for a chance. Still, “that kind of motivated me,” Lee said.
Matriculating under new Blackhawks coaches Marco Valdez and Kathleen White, Lee blazed a victory trail similar to 2023, particularly at Far East.
Lee first captured the Division I singles crown, winning in three sets over Kubasaki’s Lan Legros 4-0, 2-4, 7-3.
Under the tournament’s new format, the divisional champions played each other for the overall Far East title. Lee prevailed in that one over the 2023 Far East champion Moa Best of E.J. King 4-2, 4-2.
But Lee’s season wasn’t over. The KAIAC Blue Division Tournament was next, at Chadwick International School in Incheon. It was there that Lee beat Skylar Cho of the host Dolphins for the singles title.
“The goal was to win Far East,” Lee said. “But this was kind of like a one-plus-one deal.”
White said she noticed right off the bat that she had a player with a belly full of motivation when the season got going.
“You could tell losing was something she did not want to do this season,” White said. “It took awhile for her to buy into the new coaching system, and it paid off for her.”
Chloe Lee
Year: Sophomore
Age: 15
Place of birth: Fort Lee, N.J.
Favorite school subject: Math
Least favorite school subject: History
Favorite athlete: Serena Williams.
Favorite music performer: Sheyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, aka 21 Savage.
