College tennis is the next step (and sometimes the last step) in a players career after high school, giving them four more years of the sport in a team setting. Players typically compete in the fall and the spring of the school year, and work to maintain their form over the winter and summer off-season traveling to tournaments or getting work in on the courts at their campus.
In the first edition of On The Court, I feature Wheaton's Jack Wenzel, a former doubles state champion & three-time team state champion at Iowa City West (2015-2019). Wenzel is currently in his senior year under Coach Brad Pihl.
What is your tennis story?
My tennis story actually begins with my father, Doug, who was a Jefferson Jayhawk and grew up playing on the veterans memorial tennis courts. He went on to play Division I at Iowa State University back when they had a tennis team and was a teaching pro for a couple of years between undergrad and law school. My father was my first coach and my introduction to tennis was drawing tennis lines with chalk on our driveway and rallying with him when he got home from work. We would spend countless hours going to the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center until I was old enough to start taking private lessons and join different training camps. Tournaments were a big part of my childhood. I played my first tournament in Iowa City at around 8 years old and fell in love with the sport. After traveling across the midwest playing various tournaments and training with notable coaches such as Michele Conlon, Warren Locke, and Calvin Song, I had to start preparing for high school tennis at Iowa City West. Team tennis (high school and college) have been my favorite part about the sport of tennis. Before my freshman year, West placed second at team state, so we were determined to come back and retake the title. We ended up winning 3 / 4 years and were the second team to complete a triple crown my sophomore year. By my senior year my big question was whether I wanted to continue playing tennis in school or focus more on academics. Luckily, I was able to find a school that provided both at Wheaton College, at Division III school in Illinois.
What attracted you to Wheaton College?
When I decided I wanted to continue playing tennis in college there were 3 main factors.
1) I wanted a place that had solid academics
2) I wanted a place somewhat close to home
3) I wanted a place where it would be competitive to play in the lineup starting freshman year.
Wheaton was a great fit for me because of its fantastic Christ-Centered elite academics and the fact that it was only 3 hours from home. The CCIW, the conference we play in, also has some excellent opponents, so we have lots of opportunities to play high quality tennis.
Why college tennis?
I chose to play college tennis for my love of the sport and competition. I wanted to continue competing on a team, and knew I could play at a higher level if I continued to pursue tennis in college. Some of my favorite college memories come from the tennis season including spring break trips to Florida, traveling to matches and doing overnights, and competing against nationally ranked teams.
Best piece of advice for high school players in their search for a college tennis program?
My best piece of advice for high school players in their search for a college tennis program is do not be afraid to reach out to coaches. Developing a relationship with a coach before you commit to that school is crucial to finding the right fit. Unlike D1 and D2, D3 does not offer sports scholarships, so it might be less likely for them to reach out to you despite you being a great fit for their program. Once you have a relationship with the coach, they can help you with various things such as funding a visit to the school, helping with the application process, or financial aid with scholarships.
What topics do you wish you knew more about as you explored college tennis options coming out of high school?
Something I wish I asked more about when I was doing my visits was the intensity of each program. How does this program operate over the winter months, how many matches does that program typically play per season, and so on. One of the things at Wheaton that I developed were off season workouts for the team, since the coach cannot be involved with the team in the off season due to NCAA rules. I would really encourage you to get to know the coach to see if your goals and values align with each other.
What is your major/career interests?
I am a business and economics major with the goal of pursuing a career in private wealth management.
Tennis achievements
High School
3x team state champion
Doubles state champion
Doubles runner up
Singles 7th place
All state honorable mention
4x first team all con
1x MVC doubles team of the year
College
4 year varsity starter for singles and doubles
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