Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

My time here as a student-athlete at Saint Mary’s has flown by and I am saddened by this, but the reason it has flown by the past four years is because I got to spend it around a great group of people. Looking back and coming in as a freshman was one of the best and enjoyable times of my life. It rained during ITA’s the whole weekend that year and I got to spend time driving up to Lakeville with Jack, who made me feel a part of the team right from the start. Always giving the freshman rides to practice, making jokes, jamming out to music, being typical goofy Schway. Thanks for being so accepting and making the transition to college tennis so much easier. Thank you to the seniors that year-Clafton, Wiggy, and Reckless Reckase for the leadership you had and all the fun times we had, especially down in Orlando on Spring Break. We had some memorable moments that year, beating St. Olaf (I still don’t know how it happened, but sweeping doubles always helps!) was by far my favorite! By the time sophomore year came around, some changes had been made and people had gone but we our future was looking bright. I got closer to teammates from the year before and although we didn’t win a conference match we had so many competitive 4-5 and 3-6 matches that could have gone either way that made the team tighter and more hungry to win. Thank you to the seniors that year-Bjelland, you were always just a little of energy with so much fight inside. Pawel- “I need Starbucks, coach.” Mino- we go a lot playing doubles for most of the year and I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to play with the person who the famed “Mino-Volleys” are coined after.

The beginning of junior year was weird because we were now the upperclassmen and had to take charge of the team. With no new freshman talent added to the team and losing Tim for the season, it would have been easy to have given in and said the season would be a loss. It was difficult playing when the team only had seven players, trying to stay healthy and fresh for the next matches. It was so difficult losing conference matches we felt we should have won and missing out on the tournament by only one match. Thank you to the lone senior that year, Justin. Thanks for coming back one more year on the team to give it a shot.  This year, senior year we came in with high expectations for ourselves and wanted to make sure that we gave it our all so we would put ourselves in a position to reach our goal of making the conference tournament.

To all the freshman this year- Blake, Colin, Garren, Krystian, and Warren. Thank you for buying into our system and putting in all the hard work in practice, even though you might not get to showcase it in the matches. You truly know what it means to be part of a team. All of the vocal support you guys have at the matches supporting the team is wonderful and all the tenacity and fight each of you have is amazing. You guys hate to lose. Keep that work ethic and competitiveness that is instilled in each of you and you will be successful in the upcoming years, I guarantee it. Gav- I give you major props for being the only guy in your class to stick through playing tennis, it would be so difficult for me without the other seniors on the team. You care so much about winning and hate losing, keep the tradition going next year and teach next year’s incoming freshman what you have learned and experienced throughout your years here and you will be just fine. I would like to thank all the people that have come out to support the team throughout my career here.

Caitlin-thank you for putting up with me through all of my complaints after not playing well in matches, about nagging injuries, and whatever else I could grumble about tennis. You have always told me to look at the positives and congratulated me on the things I did right in my match and told me to grow up and get over whatever the reason was that I was disappointed.

Jake, thank you for supporting me by coming and sitting through my matches and dragging other people along to watch as well. Dr. Bodsgard and Dr. Minnerath- thank you for always asking when the next match was and for showing up and staying for as long as you could. You don’t know how much I appreciate the support and encouragement that I have gotten from two of you. It is so cool to look up during matches and see my professors watching and cheering from the stands.

I would like to thank all of the people in my family that have supported me, especially Uncle Kevin, Mary, Mark, Sam, Em, Mom and Dad. Uncle Kev and Mary, thank you for letting me tag along with you to tournaments, letting me come over every day during the summer to play on your court, letting me spend hours watching movies and stringing tennis racquets in your basement. I don’t think I would have the passion for tennis I do now if not for having you two so close and pushing me to become better. I know my siblings get sick of hearing about any form of Bob and tennis in the same sentence together, but thank you from the bottom of my heart for coming to my matches through the years, from junior tournaments to middle/high school and throughout my college career. I hope I have been a model athlete that you all can look up to and be proud to be my brother, I love you guys.

Thanks Mom and Dad for putting me in tennis lessons at an early age and for letting me stay out late at night until it was dark to hit until I couldn’t see the ball anymore. Thank you for always traveling around to watch me play, hosting team dinners in high school, bringing snacks and food to the college matches, and supporting me in whatever path I decide. From an early age you taught me to always put forth a valiant effort and respect everyone, and I credit you two for helping me to be the person I am today.

Thank you Coach Halberg- you have put up with soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much from us over these past four years and more I’m sure in your 15 years here and Saint Mary’s, and yet I know you’ll always have my back in whatever way I need it. Thank you for dinners at your house, pizza after matches, eating chipotle 24/7, being honest to us and understanding about being a student athlete, and for organizing and making England the most enjoyable experience. There were a few rough patches along the way in some matches and early morning practices. You don’t ask for much from your players, only for them to give their full effort and I hope this year’s group of seniors set a solid foundation for Saint Mary’s tennis in the future.

I don’t even know where to begin talking about my fellow seniors. It sure has been quite the ride.  Andrew- I will always remember meeting you for the first time at the convocation saying how you were going to try out for the team but you weren’t very good. You worked so hard that year in practice both during the season and offseason to become such better player than when we first played doubles together at the Midwest Invitational our freshman year. You’ve always been such a great motivator when everyone is having a “lazy” day but you always take the initiative to speak up and say the right thing, even when people don’t want to hear it. Mike- the first time I met you we went outside to play doubles with Jack and Andrew, and I thought you were absolutely crazy! You were getting so irritated about missing serves and shots, but you just are a perfectionist in tennis (especially doubles) that you expect to win the point every time. I would not be the tennis player I am today without all the knowledge you have shared with me throughout our years playing together. I had no idea how to play doubles coming in freshman year and now I feel like I have all the information in the world to share with others about how to be a successful doubles team. All the things we have been through, making solid appearances during ITA’s, to days where it seemed like I have never picked up a racquet before, you’ve always had my back when we’ve played together. You’ve been the leader of this team for four years and I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else. Sam- the first time I met you we played doubles together our senior year and meeting such a nice, easy going guy such as yourself made it impossible for me not to want to come to Saint Mary’s and be your teammate. We never got to play doubles again until this year, but along the way I know that you are there for me whenever I need it. We always have had our singles battles in practice (the good and the bad) and if there is ever any constructive criticism that needs to be shared you always make sure you get your two cents in, (especially when it involves tips on how to hit a backhand) which I appreciate. I got a lot closer to you being roommates and I’m glad you were always there for me to vent to, no matter what the problem was about. Hopefully you’ve been getting quality sleep at night! Let’s end this year on a high note!