Senior men’s tennis players Marco Bensley, Brandon McCarty and Jason Proctor are currently in their final fall season of ACU tennis and will start their final spring season next semester.
Despite this year being their last as Wildcat athletes, they are looking forward to their experiences going forward and looking back on how the program has made them the men that they are.
“When I came in, I had pretty good role models on the team, so I had an idea of what a senior should be looking like,” Bensley said. “Now being a senior and being a leader on the team, I know what is expected of me and how I should be acting and how to encourage the team.”
With a team stacked with talented, young players, including three-time Southland Conference postseason honoree junior Nico Agritelley, sophomore Henry Adams, and newcomer freshman Cole Lawson, the seniors continue to focus on getting better at their craft, but at the same time, being leaders to these less college experienced players.
“There’s a little added pressure there, but at the same time, we have added extra experience, so it’s good for a competitive atmosphere and it’s pushing us to be better,” Proctor said. “It’s a good thing because the old guys like me and Marco and Brandon, we have to continue to push ourselves, but we can also set that example and the younger guys can learn from us.”
All three said that their lifestyles as student athletes has been stressful and free time away from tennis after graduation will be welcomed, but as their respective collegiate tennis careers are coming to a close at the end of the spring semester, they wouldn’t change a thing.
“I didn’t come here to play tennis, it just kind of happened, but if I did it again, I’d do it the exact same way,” McCarty said. “All my friends come from tennis and I love them, they’re my best boys, and so it’s something that’s made a big impact on me, just being so close through all the trials you go through and so ACU, and the team and the coaches and everyone together makes it such a worthwhile thing to do.”
“This has been an incredible experience and an experience that a lot of good college tennis players don’t get,” Proctor said. “I’ve got some really top of the line coaching that not everybody, even in college tennis, has coaching as good as we have it here. I’m very thankful that I’ve been in a place where I can play with these coaches and these people.”
