The 38th annual Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, Nov. 12. Eight individuals and two teams will be honored, bringing the total number of inductees to 253. Every day leading up to the induction, a different member of the Class of 2016 will be profiled on GoJaspers.com.
Jasmine (Whu) Donato '01 (Women's Tennis)
Sponsored by Peter Sweeney '64 & Jeff Wysnher
When Jasmine (Whu) Donato joined the Manhattan College women's tennis team, it was a watershed moment for the program. Her arrival marked the start of the greatest era in program history, and she completely rewrote the record books during her time in Riverdale.
As Head Coach Jeff Wysnher said, “She made Manhattan College competitive and relevant in collegiate tennis. Whu was the single biggest reason our program reached the competitive level in the Northeast that it did.”
Before Jasmine Whu, no Jasper had won more than 85 career matches. She ended her career with 124 total victories, including 64 singles wins. And, along with Nanaxhi Chavez-Geller, she was part of the most dominant doubles tandem in school history.
Her impact was immediate. Whu played either No. 1 or 2 singles from the moment she stepped on campus, and reached the finals at No. 1 singles in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships in October 1997—just six weeks after starting school! She was also a MAAC doubles finalist in 1998, and she participated in the ITA East Regionals in both singles and doubles in 1997 and 1998. In addition, Whu won both singles and doubles titles at the Metropolitan Collegiate Tennis Championships during her career.
After finishing third in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) during each of her first three seasons, Manhattan made its first-ever MAAC championship match in Whu's senior year. Despite coming up one match short of the NCAA Tournament, the 2001 season was a remarkable one for the Jaspers. Manhattan set a program record with 13 wins, including a team-record seven straight, against only four losses.
Whu was the captain of that squad, the second time her teammates selected her for that role. She was also twice recognized as the team's Most Outstanding Performer and received the Jasper Award in 2001.
Jasmine Whu, Class of 2001, established so many firsts for the Manhattan College women's tennis program. Now she adds one more, as she becomes the first women's tennis player inducted into the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame.
