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Next summer, Sarah Leonard will make the trip from her home in Norwalk, Conn. to the Upper Valley in New Hampshire. But Leonard, the top-ranked player in the state of Connecticut and a 5-Star recruit, is not going sightseeing. She is going to become a member of the Big Green at Dartmouth College in Hanover.

"The Dartmouth campus is breathtaking," Leonard said. "I think it's one of the most beautiful in the country. There is also a strong sense of community."

Although the New England scenery is incredible, the talented Leonard is going to utilize her time wisely at the Ivy League institution, both in the classroom and on the Alexis Boss Tennis Center and Alan D. Gordon Pavilion courts.

Leonard has excellent academic credentials. For starters, she was number one in her class at Brien McMahon High School. She sports a 4.0 GPA while taking college science classes at Norwalk Community College. In order to be able to also focus on her tennis game, Leonard decided to enroll at Laurel Springs School for her senior year.

Leonard is keeping her plans for an academic major at Dartmouth open, but she is considering biology, philosophy, and government as possibilities.

Leonard's list of candidate schools was very impressive. It included Wake Forest, Yale, Brown, Columbia, William & Mary, Rice and Michigan. That is the kind of list you expect from a top-notch student.

"All of the schools were top academic schools," Leonard said. "I wanted to go where I would be happiest.

"And I just loved Dartmouth. I really like coach (Bob) Dallis. He's highly respected by everyone. He is the one I trusted the most with my game. Coach Dallis is going to be able to improve on my style of play in an atmosphere where academic and athletic performances go hand in hand."