Roster:
Anna Seydel – Sophomore
Mitch Tingey – Sophomore
Chelsea Clark – Sophomore
Alexander Hey – Sophomore
Megan Conley – Senior
Lewis Shotton – Freshman
Ryan Chin – Freshman
Teams defeated this year: Whitman College, Portland State, Gonzaga University, Lewis and Clark College, Central Washington, Western Washington, University of Oregon, University of Washington.
Q: How did you first hear about the Tennis On Campus program? What made you decide to actively take part and also become a leader on your campus? How do you feel about TOC and being a captain?
Oregon State University has always been a part of the Tennis On Campus program. This was my first year as captain, and I had a very good experience. I was most qualified to take over as President. I wanted to take over the club because I have a mission to push the team. I want the OSU club team to be more competitive and to stand out in the tennis community. Since OSU does not have a varsity team, it is important to me to show students that we provide a friendly community that connects players, allowing them to play, practice and learn tennis in an engaging environment. I want to bring prestige and honor to our school. My experience so far has been very good. Everyone communicates well, allowing me to push the club team to participate in more tournaments.
Q: In what ways has your team improved this year?
Our team has become more competitive. We have participated in more tournaments, giving our players more match experience. Our team is deeper than it was last year.
Q: What do you tell new players about Nationals, or players that are traveling for the first time to compete for your school?
We are all traveling to Nationals for the first time. So I can only tell my players as much as I am informed about the tournament.
Q: Does your team actively use social media to stay connected? If so, what social media platforms are your favorites? Does your team use social media in any special way that you feel sets you apart from other teams?
We use Facebook to post about current club event. We post pictures and any accomplishments the club has made.
Q: Do you have many seniors on your team? Do you think they know about opportunities after graduation like “Sets in the City” or young adult social leagues? Do you think anyone on your team would be interested in starting one?
We only have one senior. She will be attending one more term next winter, so I do not think that she has thought about tennis after college.
Share with us some of the ways you help out in the local and global communities in the name of tennis.
The OSU’s Tennis Club is a student organization that strives to bring the lifetime sport of tennis to the OSU community. We provide members with a friendly community that connects students with other student players where they can play, practice, and learn tennis in a safe and engaging environment. For advanced and competitive players, the club sponsors a traveling team that participates in various types of tournaments ranging from friendly matches to more official intercollegiate tournaments. The traveling team’s goal is to bring prestige to OSU’s name. \
The weekend after nationals, we are hosting an intercollegiate tournament at OSU alongside the support of Timberhill Racquet Club. We want to connect the school’s club team with the community through this event. Timberhill will be participating in the tournament by having a high school team join. I am excited to get the community involved and to create opportunities and connections for our players after college in Corvallis.
If a local newspaper was to write a story about your team what is the one thing you’d want to make sure they included?
OSU’s club tennis has not qualified for nationals in six years, and in the club’s history has never won sectionals. I think that we just want to show the tennis community that we are a club that is on the rise and wants to make some noise. We are really picking up our skills and competitive level and want to keep driving other teams to get better alongside us.
