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NAPLES — Flip open the latest issue of Sports Illustrated, turn through the first few pages and you might see a familiar face.

Lauren Embree, Lely’s senior tennis player, is featured in this week’s Faces in the Crowd, the magazine’s long-standing page highlighting amateur athletes from around the country.

Of the six athletes, Embree is the only prep player and is this week’s high school video face. With the designation, Embree has a video of her in action posted at Takkle.com, a social networking site for high school athletes. (See "Related Link" to the left)

“I can’t wait to look at it,” Embree, 17, said of the issue, which comes out today. “It’s always exciting to be in Sports Illustrated.”

Reading her praises in SI might not even be the best thing to happen to Embree this week. On Sunday she committed to play tennis for the University of Florida, and she has won both her matches this week at a $50,000 tournament in Troy, Ala.

“It’s probably one of the best weeks ever,” Embree said.

Embree’s accomplishments on the junior tennis circuit have earned her a place in the pages of SI and on the Gators’ roster. She has won nine national titles and is ranked No. 2 in the USTA’s 18-and-under division.

As a sophomore, Embree won the Class 3A individual state championship playing for Lely. She didn’t play for the Trojans much last year, instead focusing on national tournaments.

“For every young person who’s ever played any sport, to end up in Sports Illustrated is always the dream,” Lely athletic director Paul Ruby said. “It was just a matter of time before Lauren made it.”

Embree was nominated for Faces in the Crowd by Tori Townsend, the communications coordinator for the USTA Florida Section. Embree has 23 top-three finishes in national events and has been ranked in the top five since she was 12.

With those accolades, Embree had her choice of Division I colleges to attend. She chose Florida because she’s been a lifelong Gators fan while growing up in Collier County.

“I’m happy to be done with the whole (recruiting) process,” Embree said. “It takes a lot of stress off me. I’ve wanted to go to Florida since I was little.”

Embree also looked at playing for North Carolina or Georgia.

Lely tennis coach Kevin Smith has nominated Embree, who lives in Marco Island, for Faces in the Crowd since she was a sophomore. He’s glad to see her get the recognition she’s earned in the past three years.

“She’s so mature in her focus on the court,” Smith said. “She has so much strength and agility, she truly is a pro playing against beginners.”