By Pete Ruden
On a nine-man team such as Iowa men’s tennis team, leadership is definitely important.
Last year, the Hawkeyes had Dom Patrick to lead the team, and he was good at doing just that.
Iowa head coach Ross Wilson was vocal often on the idea that Patrick was everything a student-athlete should be. He took younger teammates under his wing, made sure everyone was included on and off the court, took care of business in the classroom, and was a serious player on the tennis court.
A year later, Patrick has graduated and no longer on the team. Even though his presence is missed, the Hawkeyes are still capable of setting a good example in the present and for the coming years.
“Now, I think we’ve got enough guys who have been around this program that we need to have seven Doms this year,” Wilson said. “There’s no reason all those guys can’t be doing exactly what Dom did. We’ve got some younger guys who hopefully can follow that lead, and by the time they become juniors and seniors, they’re going to be a part of that group that leads us as well.”
The players acknowledge that things are different without Patrick in the lineup and in the locker room. But even without Patrick, the Hawkeyes realize that it is important to do the right things, whether in tennis or not.
Senior Nils Hallestrand said that while Patrick was a good leader and he is missed, there is a new team and a new position that the team is in.
“He led our team in a great way I think, especially playing high up in the lineup. He was a good leader both on and off court, so we definitely miss him in some ways,” Hallestrand said. “But this is your new team [with] new types of leadership. Just got to adjust to the new situation.”
This new Iowa team, though experienced in some ways, is still relatively young at the core. The team only has two seniors in Hallestrand and Robin Haden, so there is room for athletes of all ages to step up and help lead alongside the seniors.
So far this year, the older members of the team have been doing a good job of showing the younger guys what the game at the Division-1 level is like, as well as college life is general.
Freshman Jason Kerst said the team has been supportive of each other, while also helping him learn and grow as a student-athlete.
“The upperclassmen have been in my position before, and they know what works and they definitely know what doesn’t,” he said. “They’ve really given me some good advice, and I think I’m in a better place because of it.”
As a whole, the Hawkeyes have been doing just fine on the court so far.
Wilson has been holding his players accountable to lead themselves and get themselves ready for matches. He trusts them to do the right things, whether from the tennis aspect, academic aspect, or social aspect.
“I don’t know if I look for one particular guy to be a leader, but I look for everybody to kind of almost lead themselves and do the right things, so that they can be ready to practice their best that day or compete their best that day in a match,” Wilson said. “If we can all take care of our own rituals and mental preparation [and] physical preparation, I think the team is going to be very strong.”
