Karen (Bunag) Diener

Tennis - Class of 1980

"During the 1970's, the tennis team at Shawnee Mission South High School was wildly successful. The individual State champion in girls' tennis hailed from Shawnee Mission South for nine consecutive years, from 1970-1979. It was the decade of champions for Shawnee Mission South tennis, and the most outstanding of them all was Karen Bunag. Karen created a record of success that has never, and will never, be surpassed. At a time when Shawnee Mission South was a three-year high school, Karen earned a varsity letter all three years. In each of those years, Karen won the Sunflower League Championship, the Regional Championship, and the individual State Championship. On top of her numerous championships, Karen won every single match she ever played in her three years. Therefore, SHE NEVER LOST A SET. At the time such a feat seemed to be relatively common for Shawnee Mission South tennis athletes. However, through the years the magnitude of Karen's accomplishments has come into sharper focus. That any athlete could so commandingly dominate her competition for her entire high school career like Karen did is an incredibly impressive feat. To not only win championships but to win every single set defines a Hall of Fame career. There could be no greater tennis player inducted into the Shawnee Mission South Raider Athletic Hall of Fame than Karen Bunag. It is altogether fitting that Karen is the first tennis player inducted into the Hall of Fame- simply put, there could be no other."