The Howard Payne University athletic department announced on Friday that Yellow Jacket men’s tennis player Dominic DeNardo is the 2020-2021 recipient of the Paul J. Cunningham Memorial Award.

Playing for the Yellow Jacket tennis team, Dominic DeNardo went 2-3 in singles conference play. He has been a stable everyday player for the Yellow Jackets playing the middle of the ladder in singles and number one and number two in doubles action. Dominic is also an active student worker in the Howard Payne athletic department helping staff home athletic events.

From Phoenix, Arizona, Dominic received his Business degree from HPU in May of 2020 and is now a graduate student in the HPU MBA program. He plans to be a graduate assistant coach with the HPU tennis program next year.

The Paul J. Cunningham Memorial Award is an effort to perpetuate the memory of a bright, talented young athlete who represented the highest qualities of the student-athlete. In addition to being an outstanding athlete, Paul was a quality student, a leader on and off the field, and a professing Christian. He loved his school, his teammates, and proudly represented Howard Payne University. This award is given to the Howard Payne University male athlete who best represents these qualities as voted on by the university administrative staff.