East Hampton - On Friday, Feb. 13, at the East Hampton Indoor Tennis Hampton Aces Awards Night, two East Hampton girls tennis players, Kelly Naula of East Hampton and Victoria Peel-Margraf of Montauk, were presented Gardiner Book Scholarship Awards, given each year to graduating seniors with excellence in the classroom, on the court and in the community.

"The girls are 'A' students at the school, fine tennis competitors and they're really into many aspects of community service," said Bill Gardiner, after whom the award is named. "I'm so proud of them."

Gardiner sponsored the 35th anniversary celebration at EHIT, which also recognized longtime East Hampton coach John Goodman with a lifetime achievement award. The presentations were complemented by a round-robin doubles tournament complete with current and former Bonacker stars. The women's doubles championship was won by Sue Warner and Kim Hren; Bruce Horwith and Jack Graves were victorious in the men's doubles final. The mixed doubles competition was won by Luke Rodriguez and Valinda Valcich. Kelly Naula's sister, Amy, joined forces with Brian Fink to defeat Carlos Uchupailla and Alex Fulham in the junior mixed doubles title match.

It's the second year that EHIT handed out Book Scholarships to multiple Bonac seniors. Last year, Montauk's J.J. Burke, Amagansett's Brittany Metzger and East Hampton's Calli Nicoletti were honored. The award money, designed to defray the costs of college textbooks, renews annually provided its recipients maintain 'A' averages at the collegiate level.

"I feel privileged to know these students, male and female, because they're extraordinary," Gardiner said.

Naula teamed with Emma Shilowich to reach the quarterfinals at the Division IV Individual Tournament in Shoreham. Peel-Margraf played No. 2 and 3 doubles for the Lady Bonackers, often alongside Naula, and was named an All-League player.

As part of Gardiner's tennis program, candidates play three days and two mornings a week, with the latter taking place at or around 5 a.m. under the watchful eye of former high school All-American and current EHIT pro Matt Rubenstein.

"They keep their tennis up, and keep their workouts and fitness up," Gardiner said. "They showed great improvement in their games and keep on doing well as people too."