Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

GRACE ZACHMAN: In my 19 years of coaching at Saint Mary’s I have come across a lot of unique and interesting personalities in my playing squads.  There is no one like Grace Zachman…and I mean that as a compliment, truly!  Grace is an incredible combination of patience, intelligence, humor, kindness and tolerance…with a little skull and crossbones/mafia toughness mixed in.  She would be the first to admit that she is not going to jump in headfirst at every opportunity thrown at her; she likes to observe and access before she makes her decisions, but with her great intelligence and self understanding, Grace has nearly  flawless  judgment (her mom may disagree in regards to a certain tattoo, but her coaches and teammates love it!  Sorry mom!).  I was so pleased she agreed to be Co-Captain with Lindsey this past season.  She is a quiet leader, but I absolutely trust her abilities to make good decisions for the team, and she and Lindsey complimented each other well.  She also helps cover for me and my decidedly dodgy math skills…what am I going to do without you next year Grace?  You may be getting bizarre texts from me next year out of the blue (i.e. Grace, quick!  What’s 54 times 18?).  Could happen … .

Now for a few things everyone should know about Grace:
One, she is very funny…a real killer sense of humor (it goes well with the tattoo).  I have enjoyed many bus rides with Grace, who is always right behind me where she can stretch out her legs, because…two, she cannot sleep on buses; unfortunate for her but great for me as she keeps me entertained…there is never a dull moment with Grace.  Three, she has this hilarious deadpan look she can give you which always makes you wonder: “is she messing with me right now or does she really think I am a complete idiot?”  She could make a living playing poker…you just don’t know what she is thinking.  Four, she occasionally will let you know what she is thinking, and it is usually hilarious.  She has a sharp and clever wit and she doesn’t miss much.  Five, she has a wonderful tolerance and understanding of others.  She just doesn’t waste time judging people.  She may not always agree with what they are doing, but she has a very live and let live attitude and she accepts people for who they are; it is a very healthy and kind way of viewing the world…and it also makes her easily accessible to her friends and teammates as she is able to relate to them all, no matter what their personality or approach to life.  I love that about her.  Six, she and Rachel took a memorable (or infamous) ride on the boy’s bus on spring break her freshman year; it may have scarred Rachel for life (and explains certain song choices on the bus later in her career), but Grace has come through relatively unscathed…though I believe a few of those boys got Grace’s deadpan stare after that ride!  Seven, do NOT judge a book by its cover…Grace LOVES books and could easily while away a weekend quietly reading, but there is a musical side to Grace which more about skulls and crossbones than quiet moments…Grace ROCKS!  Eight, Grace is loved by all her teammates…every one of them, period.  And finally, NINE: Grace is a good singles player…she even, well, tolerates, singles.  She LOVES doubles, no doubt, but she has learned to embrace singles and no longer gives me that deadpan stare when I ask: “Grace, what do you think about singles today?”
    
Thank you for everything Grace.  It has been a wonderful ride…which we will put an exclamation point on with her SECOND trip to England with the team!  You are a wonderful, kind, talented and fun person and you will be greatly missed by all of us!  All the best.

GAVIN SMITH: Our resident Greek God, come down from Olympus to play tennis among us mere mortals.  Zeus had his lightning bolts, well Gav has them too…from day one his freshman year, Gavin was a force that needed to be molded into a weapon.  He has always had tennis talent, but he is modest about those abilities…and a little too hard on himself as well.  Wouldn’t you say, Gav?  Anyway, it took a little coaxing from his teammates and coaches, but his skills have truly blossomed.  
When Gavin came to us freshman year, he was class by himself…literally…he was the only freshman.  With the returning players I had in the team, and being a quiet guy by nature, it took a little while before we really got to know Gavin.  But between our first spring break trip and the England Trip freshman year, he became a really valued member of the SMU Tennis family.  Gavin will be the first to admit that when it comes to tennis, he kind of wears his heart on his sleeve, but there is never a question about his commitment.  He is a fighter and he always tries to battle his way to victory…even if he has to break out the slice game!  Early in his career, he had some technical issues to address in his game, but it was trusting himself under pressure that was the real challenge.  Well, judging by the spectacular senior year he has had, he has improved himself in many ways.  For that alone I am very proud of him, but was has pleased me most is what a good teammate and captain he has been as well.  Gavin cares deeply for SMU Tennis and his teammates and he has become a really good leader in his senior year.  

    One of the great pleasures I find in coaching is being able to see players grow and mature over time and Gavin is certainly no exception.  It has been my pleasure to be his coach these past four years and I look forward to seeing him at alumni events, etc, but more importantly, I am looking forward to seeing where life takes him.  Knowing Gavin, I am certain he will be a success and make many lifelong friends along the way.  Thanks for coming down from Olympus to share your powers and presence with us ya big greek god…and way to beat Gustavus!  All the best.

NICK KASEL:
    What do I say about Nick?  I have known Nick for some time as his older brother Brian played for me before Nick came to SMU.  As a matter of fact, I am guilty of calling Nick “Brian” on many occasions over the last few years.  Though Nick did not come out for the team his freshman year, he answered our call when we asked him to join us his sophomore year.  Despite not having touched his racquet for over a year, he filled in very well and helped the team immensely at a time when our ranks were depleted.  In his junior year, he wanted to concentrate on school and decided to take a year away again, but when I approached him again to play in his senior year, he once again stepped up to help the team.  Nick is a very unique guy.  Intelligent, funny, with a way of looking at the world from his own original lense, he is always a joy to be around.  He talks to himself on court, he throws out his shoulder (and puts it back in) with regularity and I never know what topic will be on his mind when we chat, but I always know that he will be there to help the team when we are at need!  You cannot really ask for more of a teammate or a friend.  It was Gavin’s (and indeed the whole teams) great pleasure to role to victory with him in their win over the Gustavus doubles team they played this year.  For that alone I think all his hard work on court was worth it, but, having said that, it’s not the results that matter most in the end.  It is the journey that makes the trip, not the destination.  It has been a pleasure journeying with you Nick!  Thank you for your efforts and sacrifice for the team.   I truly appreciate it!  All the best.