Harrogate, TN – Lincoln Memorial University Men's Tennis player Mathis Amsellem and Women's Tennis' Maria Villanueva have been named the Gap Creek Coffee House Impact Student Athletes of the Month for September.
The award is given to student athletes who have embodied the spirit of the student impact group, dedicating their time to help improve their campus community while making a positive impact on their fellow students.
A senior from Soisy sous Montmorency, France, Mathis Amsellem has earned the Male Impact Student Athlete Award through is work promoting mental health. A leader on and off the tennis courts, Amsellem has turned his journey recovering from injury into encouragement for others to reach their personal goals. A Business Administration major, Mathis came to Lincoln Memorial last year from Edinboro University and has shined as a Railsplitter. Amsellem is a member of the SAAC representing the Men's Tennis team and is an A.B.E Scholar, while making the Dean's List last semester with a 3.855 GPA.
Amsellem has already made the most of his short time at LMU, captaining the Men's Tennis team. Off the court, Amsellem has made his presence felt through social media, where a back injury last season encouraged him to create content focused on tennis, training, recovery, nutrition, discipline, and the student-athlete balance. While injured, Mathis helped coach Abraham Lascari during matches from the sidelines, while also helping his fellow teammates prepare for matches. Back home, Amsellem has helped young tennis players improve their performance through coaching, physical preparation, mental preparation, nutrition, and athlete development.
Amsellem has also used his business skills to help organize events, coordinating ball kids and working as a co-director of a major tennis tournament, which helped Mathis develop key leadership, communication, organizational, and team-management skills
On the court, Amsellem finished last season with five wins on the doubles court, including wins over SAC opponents Wingate, Emory & Henry, and Mars Hill. At Edinboro, Amsellem was named the 2025 PSAC Tournament MVP, winning six consecutive doubles matches. For more on Amsellem's encouragement through social media, his Instagram handle is @mathis_ams.
The Women's Impact Student Athlete Award in September goes to Maria Villanueva, a junior from Barcelona, Spain. An Exercise Science major, Villanueva has been named to the Dean's List every semester at LMU and is an A.B.E Scholar with a 3.99 GPA. Villanueva was awarded the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award for the second-consecutive year, while being a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll.
Villanueva has earned this award through her volunteer work in the Lincoln Memorial community. Villanueva was a recipient of LMU's S.E.R.V.E Award this past year, receiving a grant to sponsor local kids from low-income backgrounds to participate in this summer's LMU baseball camp. Villanueva used her grant to pay for kids gear and entry into the camp, coordinating with parents and LMU Baseball coach Justin Haywood.
Villanueva also serves as a volunteer with the Weil Scholarship Foundation, serving as a project coordinator in assisting to build a more sustainable, consistent funding model for scholarships given to kids to cover costs at high-performance sports academies, helping in securing funding and connecting with kids to be sponsored. She also assists in hosting a portfolio workshop, teaching fellow scholars how to build their e-portfolio for academic, cultural, and service work. Last semester, she also assisted in coordinating a surprise emergency scenario as part of her Safety, First Aid, and CPR training, to help fellow students react to a real emergency.
Villanueva has also worked as a Resident Assistant at LMU and works as a tutor in the Tagge Center, along with being a student worker in the cafeteria. With athletics, Villanueva has interned the last three semesters as a Strength & Conditioning coach, working with LMU Track & Field, Men's and Women's Soccer, Cross Country, Men's Tennis, Men's and Women's Volleyball, Men's and Women's Golf, and Men's and Women's Lacrosse.
Villanueva has also been a consistent presence on the courts for LMU, going undefeated in singles play in her last two years, including a conference win over Mars Hill and three doubles wins.
The impact group seeks to promote, encourage, and celebrate the individual while embodying the unique differences within the athletic department in an effort to foster a culture of appreciation and acknowledgment.
