College Feature
Pop Culture in College Tennis
by Marc Lucero, 28 April 2009
The end of April. This is one of the most intense periods on the college tennis calendar - with conference tournaments just wrapping up, and the national championships just on the horizon. (The NCAA Division I men's and women's tennis selection show is on ESPNews tonight at 5:20pm EDT - tune in!)
Marc Lucero provides a bit of comic relief. He keeps things light with a "pop culture grid" featuring a few prominent college tennis players who will play into May. Take a look at how they answered some very important questions...
| Dylan Arnould Duke | Hilary Bartlett Princeton | Molly Scott Dartmouth | Matt Tosches SDSU |
I can't go long without... | trying to crack a body part | ice cream | food | eating Chipotle |
Our locker room is... | repainted white very often | much cleaner than my room | where we tell all of our stories | full of jocks |
... never stops talking. | Thomas Friedman | my grandmother | my dad | the voice inside my head |
It's embarassing but... | I still get confused how to get around in my hometown | I tell my dog everything | I slip and fall almost every day when there is snow | I [stink] at Guitar Hero |
My cell phone is... | probably going to give me cancer | my fifth limb | pink | always on vibrate |
The movie Twilight is... | a movie I've never seen | not overrated, unfortunately | amazing - I saw it four times | a crazy gothic chick flick |
My favorite class is... | Arabic | "Good to be Shifty: American Swindlers and Imposters" | Abnormal Psychology | Mercedes Benz S-Class |
My favorite show on TV is... | South Park | Lost | Gossip Girl | Dexter |
About the players...
Dylan Arnould (photo courtesy of Duke Photography) is a junior at Duke University. He is from Northampton, Massachusetts, and was one of the top American recruits in his class as well as a former nationally ranked chess player. Arnould started the season by winning the Duke Invitational, and he holds a 12-5 singles record at the #2 and #3 positions, including a 7-2 record in conference play.
Hilary Bartlett (photo couretesy of Princeton Athletic Communications) is a freshman at Princeton University. Bartlett is from New York City and was the runner-up at the USTA Girls 16s National Championships as a junior player. Bartlett was ranked #25 in singles and #4 in doubles (with partner Taylor Marable) in the January 6th ITA spring rankings.
Molly Scott (photo by Mark Washburn) is a sophomore at Dartmouth University. Scott is from Coto de Caza, California and was a top 10 junior player in the Southern California section. Scott played #1 as a freshman at Dartmouth and is currently ranked #11 in the East Region.
Matthew Tosches (photo courtesy of SDSU Athletics) is a sophomore at San Diego State University. Tosches is from Murrieta, California and was instrumental in leading his high school team to the league title as a high school player. Tosches has achieved a great deal in the classroom as well as the court; after posting a 4.0 GPA he received San Diego State's prestigious Malik Award.
More Pop Culture from the ITA
Unbeknownst to us at TennisRecruiting.net, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association has been publishing it's own pop culture feature for the past couple of months. Make sure to check it out.
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About Marc Lucero
Marc Lucero is one of the founders of
RAMP Tennis
based in Carson, Calif.
Lucero is a former USTA Coach, working for USTA Player Development
for four years. While with the USTA he was responsible for all
aspects of the development of his assigned players. This included
formulating developmental plans, planning/conducting daily practices,
tournament scheduling, and coordinating fitness with the strength and
conditioning staff. Lucero has coached Nicole Gibbs since 2010, and in
2012 Gibbs won the NCAA singles title and the Denver 50k Pro Circuit
event, her first professional singles title at that level.
While with the USTA, Coach Lucero spent time assisting with many
young pros, among them Sam Querrey and Ryan Harrison. He also
traveled extensively to Regional Training Centers around the country,
evaluating young players (ages 7-12), conducting regional camps, and
teaching the USTA philosophy to parents and coaches. Prior to the
USTA, Lucero was a traveling coach on the women's tour. Before that,
he spent three years as the women's Assistant Coach at
Princeton University.
He is USPTR certified and also holds USTA High Performance Coaching
Education and USTA Sports Science certifications. Coach Lucero played
Division I tennis at
Boston College
and graduated from the Carroll School of Management Honors Program
with a degree in Economics.