VANCOUVER, Wash. --- With all the optimism around the Biola Tennis Center stemming from the exciting facility upgrades and the very successful season thus far from Biola Women's Tennis, the signing of Faith Grisham feels like it fits the culture the Eagles are working hard to establish.

Grisham is coming off a 23-1 mark in singles in 2018 at Columbia River High School in Washington, where she finished third at the 2A state tournament last year and lost only to the eventual champion. She was named the All-Region Girls' Tennis Player of the Year by The Columbian Newspaper as a junior and was distinguished in the article for her positivity on the court along with her victory in the third-place match at state.

And the great finish in 2018 was just one of many successful results from Grisham. She finished fourth at the 2A state tournament as a sophomore and has won a number of tournaments since her 23-1 season in nearby Portland, Oregon.

Grisham is currently ranked the ninth best player in Washington and 13th in the Pacific Northwest region by Tennisrecruiting.net and will arrive at Biola with over 80 college units completed thanks to her diligent work in the classroom. She participated in a Running Start Program at Clark College after taking IB classes at Columbia River to get an early jump on her degree.

Grisham will major in psychology when she enrolls at Biola and hopes to pursue a doctorate through Biola's Rosemead School of Psychology to research Alzheimer's and dementia.

Biola as a community also makes for a good fit for Grisham because she look for a school that would embrace her commitment to her faith and her passion for serving others. Grisham has done extensive volunteer work with food banks, special education programs and other philanthropic organizations. And it was important for her to choose a school that would her help develop these areas of her life even more:

"I chose Biola because I wanted to attend a university where the students, professors, and coaches put God first. I believe Biola is one of the only schools that is truly centered around Christ and that is very important to me as I look to grow my faith in these upcoming years," said Grisham. "I am excited to represent the values of Biola on and off the tennis court!"
 
The Eagles will be making their first trip to the PacWest Tennis Championships on April 17 before Grisham hopes to help make it back-to-back trips in 2020. More information about other incoming student-athletes can be found on the Committed Athletes page.