Iowa men’s tennis captain Garret Dunn saw his decorated college career come to a close April 25 at the Big Ten Tournament. The Tempe, Ariz., native has attained numerous accolades and awards during his four years in Iowa City.

Dunn was an enormous presence on the court for the Hawkeyes — literally. The 6-8 senior received significant playing time throughout his four years and earned the team’s Most Valuable Player honor during his junior season. His 51 career doubles victories rank in the top five all-time for the program.

“Garret is the epitome of a student-athlete,” Iowa head coach Steve Houghton said during Dunn’s Senior Day presentation. “He’s been one of the best leaders I’ve ever had, and we’ve had some good ones. He’ll be a big success in life, there’s no doubt about that. In my 32 years here there’s been nobody I’ve liked more or admired more than Garret. He’s been a great representative of the University and of the tennis team.”

His accomplishments off the court are arguably more impressive. Dunn’s GPA during his college career is 3.99; he’s earned just one B while at Iowa. The Black and Gold senior has been named an Academic All-Big Ten honoree twice.

This spring, he received the Robert F. Ray Faculty Representative Award, which is annually presented to a male and female student-athlete who demonstrates outstanding academic and athletics excellence and leadership.

Dunn’s teammates echoed Houghton’s statements, saying he’s made a major impact in their lives and they’re grateful for the time spent with him. His younger Hawkeye teammates say they look up to their captain like an older brother.

“Garret has been a mentor to me, and he’s the person I look up to the most on the team,” said Matt Hagan, Dunn’s doubles partner. “I couldn’t have asked for a better teammate. He cares about everyone on the team, and he’s the most unselfish person I know.”

Dunn acknowledged that his tennis career coming to an end is a “bittersweet moment,” but he’s leaving with no regrets. He will walk away from Iowa with degrees in finance and accounting.

“The biggest thing I learned at Iowa was to just enjoy the moment,” Dunn said. “If you look at college athletics as a whole, it’s not permanent. We only have four years to compete, so just enjoying it while it lasts is one thing that I’ll take away.”

“It’s just been a great experience being able to call myself a Hawkeye over these past four years.”