By Nicholas Moreano
As the Iowa women’s tennis season comes to an end, so will the college career of Hawkeye Aimee Tarun.
Saturday’s matchup against Nebraska will be Tarun’s last match at the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex. The senior leader said she will have a mixture of emotions leading up to the match.
“It’s definitely going to be an emotional day, and I think it will be sad,” she said. “But I think it will also be really exciting, because I mean, it’s something to celebrate.”
Tarun started playing tennis at 7; her mother, Helen McSweeny, who played college tennis at Yale, was a major factor in her tennis career.
As a freshman and sophomore at New Trier High in Illinois, Tarun earned all-conference each season and all-state honors as a sophomore. In her senior year, she ranked in the top 100, No. 14 in the Great Lakes Region.
Going into her freshman year at Iowa, Tarun didn’t know what to expect from college tennis, and she came in as the program’s lone freshman.
Being surrounded by upperclassman, Tarun had to learn to adjust to the game.
Those upperclassmen taught Tarun how to become a leader, and over the course of her career, she did just that.
It started in her junior year, and she said the ability to lead came naturally.
“Last year, four freshmen came in, so it was a pretty young team,” Tarun said. “I like leading and looking to take on that role, and it didn’t really feel forced, and I wanted to help the younger kids when they came in and guide them.”
Not only has Tarun helped her younger teammates, she’s also affected the upperclassmen who will take over as seniors next year.
“Aimee has been a great role model on and off the court for me,” junior Anastasia Reimchen said. “She has definitely taught me how important it is to be a good leader who helps develop your confidence as a player. It’s been a pleasure to be on a team with her, and she will definitely be missed.”
Throughout Tarun’s four years at Iowa, she has had her fair share of ups and downs.
She said last season was a low point in her tennis career. The Hawkeyes finished 0-11 in the conference and lost five matches by the score of 4-3.
Tarun said the Hawkeyes were so close to being on the winning side during those matches, but it never went in their favor.
But this season was a high point for Tarun.
With the addition of head coach Sasha Schmid, the Hawkeyes have been able to win some of those close matches, including four contests against conference opponents.
Tarun also said that one of her favorite moments was when she had the clinching point against Indiana earlier this season, the Hawkeyes’ first win against a conference opponent since her sophomore year.
As she prepares with her teammates during the week for her last home match, she reflected on what she will miss most.
“I think I’m just going to miss being on the team and getting to come out every day, being with my teammates,” Tarun said. “Just like the laughs and fun jokes we have. We definitely have fun together.”