Justin Bids Farewell

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF SAINT MARY'S UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CARDINAL ATHLETICS

When I choose to come to Saint Mary’s during my senior year of high school, tennis was one thing that I knew I wanted to continue to do in college. My parents were always strong supporters, coming to as many of my tennis matches as possible, and they continued that trend in my transition from high school to college, and I would like to thank them very much for that!

The Saint Mary’s men’s tennis team was all that I could have ever hoped for. Through my 4 years on the team, I had the chance to meet, practice with, and even play alongside a lot of amazing guys. I had the opportunity to take a spring break trip each year to new, and for the most part exciting, places such as Hilton Head Island, Orlando, and Texas. These trips were some of the most fun that I have ever had, and I always looked forward to spending the time away with the men and women on the tennis teams. However, these trips are miniscule if I take into consideration the England trip the summer after my freshman year. The sites and destinations that Coach Halberg had all planned out for us were amazing! From spending time touring Wimbledon, to playing on grass and clay courts, to spending several nights inside of a castle, this was the most fun I had had up to that point in my life, and it was with the Saint Mary’s Tennis Team.

If people know anything about me, it’s my love for food. In the past, we have had spaghetti dinners, lasagna dinners (thanks to Mrs. Lunka), and numerous grill outs on nights before tennis matches. It’s been a great experience to actually be a part of a team that not only gets along outside of tennis, but where the guys want to hang out with each other. I would like to thank both past and present teammates for making my experience with the Saint Mary’s Tennis Team a fun and exciting one. Of course, it wouldn’t be very nice of me to forget to thank our coaches, both Coach Jeff Halberg and Assistant Coach David Sokolowski for putting up with me for the 4+ years that I spent with the team, and Asst Coach Blake Duden for the one year that I got to spend with him on the courts with us.

There were definitely some ups and downs along the way; however, I am very pleased with the overall experience that both the coaches and Saint Mary’s in general have given me the opportunity for. Lastly, but of course not the least, I would like to thank all of the parents for the food that is always so delicious at our home matches, and of course all of the friends from school that came to watch our tennis matches, it’s truly nice to see some support from faculty and students.