ELON, N.C. – Partnered with the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, the Elon University men's and women's tennis teams welcomed Jake Ingham to the Elon tennis family last weekend, March 9.
 
The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation has a mission to improve the quality of life for children and their families who are battling pediatric brain tumors, as well as to raise awareness for the disease. This is done through teaming up children and their families with high school and college sports teams.
 
On Saturday, March 1, both the men's and women's tennis teams held "Friends of Jaclyn Day" at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. Though Ingham wasn't able to make the matches that day, his smiling face was spotted a week later after the men's team's 6-1 defeat of Davidson on Sunday, March 9.
 
After the match, Ingham signed a contract to join the tennis teams.
 
"It was great for all of us to have Jake join our team this past weekend," said Elon men's tennis head coach Michael Leonard. "Our student athletes were so excited to play tennis with Jake and to just joke around with him all afternoon. He's has such a joy for life and has a great sense of humor."
 
Ingham first went to the North Carolina Children's Hospital when he was 15 months old. It was then he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and since has undergone multiple brain surgeries for the tumor, as well as various other treatments. Now, the 12-year old Ingham has a positive outlook on life he lives up to the fullest—and funniest.
 
"Jake is a really funny kid," said Frida Jansaker, a senior on the women's team. "He writes joke books that he uses to raise money. He was telling us some of the jokes and they're really funny."
 
One of the books he donated to the Duke Children's Radiothon, which was hosted by MIX 101.5 in Raleigh, N.C. During the radiothon, Ingham earned the nickname 'Jake the Jokeman' from Bill Jordan and Lynda Loveland, who previously hosted "Bill and Lynda in the Morning" on the station.
 
"We really enjoyed partnering with Friends of Jaclyn to bring Jake to the teams," said Elon women's tennis head coach Elizabeth Anderson. "It's an outstanding foundation and we have been so blessed to have the opportunity to get to know Jake. He's a fantastic young man and it's so inspirational to see his positive determination and his fun spirit. It is truly a great experience and we appreciate the opportunity to be involved in his life."
 
Now that Ingham has met the team, the hope is he will return to the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center to see a few more matches this year and to hang out with the teams.
 
"This whole thing has been a really great experience," said Jordan Kaufman, a junior on the men's team. "Both teams did a really great job in not only making him feel comfortable around us, but at the same time having some fun with us on the courts and joking around. It was a great opportunity for all of us to give back to the community that supports us so much and to have an excellent addition to the teams."
 
Both teams have a handful of home matches remaining on the schedule and hope Ingham will be able to make it to a few of them. The men's team plays its first of four more home matches this Sunday, March 16, against Radford while the women's team comes home for the first of three more home dates Friday, March 21, against Furman.
 
"I think it is very important in life to give back to others and seeing both the men's and women's teams embrace Jake the way they did made both Elizabeth and I so proud to be their coaches," Leonard said. "I'm confident we will continue to stay in touch with Jake and we plan to see him at many more matches in the future. He is a special kid and we want him to know how much we care about him!"