Watkins named inaugural recipient of the “Kris Nord Grizzly Grit Award”
6/23/2023 2:16:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Back in March, Montana tennis freshman Jake Watkins got the news no college student should have to hear.
Just as he was getting started with his first season as a Grizzly, he was diagnosed with Burkitt Lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer.
After months of intense chemotherapy, he's rebounding and slowly returning to the court as he prepares for his final round of tests. Tests that will officially determine if he's won the battle.
The fact he's up and swinging a racquet is award-worthy in itself, but that he's back at it following a months-long battle with cancer is downright inspiring.
But for his coaches and teammates, it's not a surprise.
Since arriving on campus in the fall of '22, Watkins has earned a reputation as a grinder, doing whatever he can to help his team improve on and off the court as he works for a spot in the lineup.
That was before the cancer.
After seeing how he's fought through the pain, nausea, and nervousness of a fight against a deadly disease, he became the obvious choice to receive a brand-new team award. One voted on by his coaches and teammates with equal value honoring that sort of selfless work ethic and carries the weight of a Grizzly legend with it.
After the season, the Grizzly tennis team voted Watkins to be the inaugural recipient of the "Kris Nord Grizzly Griz Award," a new honor that will be presented annually to the men's tennis player who "best exemplifies the program's values on the court, in the gym, in the classroom, and in the community."
"I don't think anyone tried harder than Jake, and I mean that in the best possible sense. He grinds. He was the first guy to volunteer for anything we did in the community. He's a hard worker in the gym and a joy to coach in tennis in that he sometimes tries too hard on the court. As a coach, anytime you get to pull someone back from trying too hard, it's a great thing," said UM head coach Jason Brown.
"But I want to make it as clear as I did to him that this award has nothing to do with getting sick. I would give him two awards for how he's handled that, which only reaffirmed why he is receiving this award. He's been an absolute trooper and inspired his teammates the whole way."
With Watkins working toward making his return to action, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA on a Pre-Med track, he's made it clear that he wants to be the guy taking home the Grizzly Grit award every year he's here.
And the competition among his teammates for the annual honor will only make the Griz a better team going forward.
"It's a joy to get to coach him. I'm really excited for him to get this season back and have four more years with us. He said he wants to make a run at this award every year, and now it's a great challenge for his teammates to catch him."
Anyone who has been around Grizzly Athletics for most of the last half-century knows the name Kris Nord.
Set to enter his 42nd year coaching at UM, the future Hall of Famer has served as Montana's men's tennis coach, women's tennis coach, and twice as the golf coach, often filling two roles simultaneously.
During his tenure as men's tennis head coach, he led the Grizzlies to their first Big Sky Championship in 2014, was twice named the league's coach of the year, and built the program into one of the most consistently successful in Grizzly Athletics, on and off the court.
As a tip of the hat, Brown started the Grizzly Grit Award "in honor of former head coach Kris Nord, who led the team to its first conference championship and instilled its core values in every player that has come through since," so-says the plaque now hanging in Brown's office.
With the new award, he now hopes that the values Nord put in place will be a target for every current and future Grizzly netter to aim for as they work their way through their careers at UM.
"Not only was he my mentor and guide into college coaching, but he set the table for what I know he wants out of athletics in general, but specifically Griz tennis. This program is something he fostered and grew and nurtured for decades. Literally decades" said Brown.
"Culture is a big thing for our team, so we wanted this award to be something every guy on the team strives for and one that encompasses everything he instilled in the program. Considering what Kris has meant to the program, the athletic department, and the university, we wanted to tie him in and have his name on it for as long as I'm here and hopefully long after."
Just as he was getting started with his first season as a Grizzly, he was diagnosed with Burkitt Lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer.
After months of intense chemotherapy, he's rebounding and slowly returning to the court as he prepares for his final round of tests. Tests that will officially determine if he's won the battle.
The fact he's up and swinging a racquet is award-worthy in itself, but that he's back at it following a months-long battle with cancer is downright inspiring.
But for his coaches and teammates, it's not a surprise.
Since arriving on campus in the fall of '22, Watkins has earned a reputation as a grinder, doing whatever he can to help his team improve on and off the court as he works for a spot in the lineup.
That was before the cancer.
After seeing how he's fought through the pain, nausea, and nervousness of a fight against a deadly disease, he became the obvious choice to receive a brand-new team award. One voted on by his coaches and teammates with equal value honoring that sort of selfless work ethic and carries the weight of a Grizzly legend with it.
After the season, the Grizzly tennis team voted Watkins to be the inaugural recipient of the "Kris Nord Grizzly Griz Award," a new honor that will be presented annually to the men's tennis player who "best exemplifies the program's values on the court, in the gym, in the classroom, and in the community."
"I don't think anyone tried harder than Jake, and I mean that in the best possible sense. He grinds. He was the first guy to volunteer for anything we did in the community. He's a hard worker in the gym and a joy to coach in tennis in that he sometimes tries too hard on the court. As a coach, anytime you get to pull someone back from trying too hard, it's a great thing," said UM head coach Jason Brown.
"But I want to make it as clear as I did to him that this award has nothing to do with getting sick. I would give him two awards for how he's handled that, which only reaffirmed why he is receiving this award. He's been an absolute trooper and inspired his teammates the whole way."
With Watkins working toward making his return to action, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA on a Pre-Med track, he's made it clear that he wants to be the guy taking home the Grizzly Grit award every year he's here.
And the competition among his teammates for the annual honor will only make the Griz a better team going forward.
"It's a joy to get to coach him. I'm really excited for him to get this season back and have four more years with us. He said he wants to make a run at this award every year, and now it's a great challenge for his teammates to catch him."
Anyone who has been around Grizzly Athletics for most of the last half-century knows the name Kris Nord.
Set to enter his 42nd year coaching at UM, the future Hall of Famer has served as Montana's men's tennis coach, women's tennis coach, and twice as the golf coach, often filling two roles simultaneously.
During his tenure as men's tennis head coach, he led the Grizzlies to their first Big Sky Championship in 2014, was twice named the league's coach of the year, and built the program into one of the most consistently successful in Grizzly Athletics, on and off the court.
As a tip of the hat, Brown started the Grizzly Grit Award "in honor of former head coach Kris Nord, who led the team to its first conference championship and instilled its core values in every player that has come through since," so-says the plaque now hanging in Brown's office.
With the new award, he now hopes that the values Nord put in place will be a target for every current and future Grizzly netter to aim for as they work their way through their careers at UM.
"Not only was he my mentor and guide into college coaching, but he set the table for what I know he wants out of athletics in general, but specifically Griz tennis. This program is something he fostered and grew and nurtured for decades. Literally decades" said Brown.
"Culture is a big thing for our team, so we wanted this award to be something every guy on the team strives for and one that encompasses everything he instilled in the program. Considering what Kris has meant to the program, the athletic department, and the university, we wanted to tie him in and have his name on it for as long as I'm here and hopefully long after."
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