Beyond the wins and losses of an up-and-down season, Marquette men’s tennis is focusing on growth.
Additionally, due to previous budget cuts with the program phasing out scholarships, the team has changed its approach, recruiting within North America instead of internationally.
Out of the program’s six player first-year class, five are from the United States, while Remi St. Laurent hails from north of the border in Montreal, Canada.
Three senior players from the 2023-24 team — Jan Jauch (Switzerland), Tin Krstulovic (Slovenia), and Jasper Schaadt (Germany) — were European natives, but that senior class as a whole, helped lay a foundation for this year’s continually developing youthful roster, according to junior Puerto Rican native Ivan Vazquez. who is from Puerto Rico.
“Last year, it was my first year, I came in as a sophomore but technically my first year on the team, and a bunch of older guys, all seniors, very mature,” Vazquez said. “They knew how to get things over, they’ve been through it, and the other factor is that (Jauch, Krstulovic and Schaadt) were internationals, and then Nathan Balthazor, he’s from here, but a lot of guidance.
“Coming in from last year compared to this, it’s a big, big difference. You can just tell about this group of guys, really good group, but still young, fresh, and lots to learn.”
Director of men’s and women’s tennis programs Jud Shaufler likened adjusting to the speed, stamina and mental fortitude of Division I college tennis to keeping a wood-burning fireplace going in one’s living room.
“Recently, what we’ve talked about is that competitive fire within you, that you have to know how to regulate it for a long period of time,” Schaufler said. “It’s no different than burning a fire in your fireplace, if it starts to go out, you’ve got to know how to stoke it and add wood; or do whatever you have to do to get the fire burning hot again.”
“That’s part of stamina is to be able to do things for a long period of time, and we’re not there yet. I think they’re starting to understand it, I think they’re pretty motivated to get there, but it’s going to take some time.”
First-year Kristian Blagoev was born and raised a stone’s throw away, down Interstate 94 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where a family connection to Marquette tennis helped him gain an interest in the sport itself.
“The reason why I got into tennis was because my dad’s best friend, his son actually played for Marquette ten years ago,” Blagoev said. “He was a part of the team (around 2014, 2015), and so since I was in elementary school, I went to watch him when we had the old courts. I knew Coach (Shaufler) and the past coach (Steve Rodecap), and I was always a Marquette fan.”
“It’s a college I knew since I was a kid, so playing for that, I feel like it’s different than playing for a school you’ve never heard of, and it’s a sense of pride. Since I was a kid, I was watching, and now as a college player, I’m playing and representing.”
Starting at the No. 6 singles position in the season opener at Western Michigan, Blagoev climbed the ladder to the No. 3 and No. 4 spots in the singles lineup and has illustrated a theme of continuous growth throughout his first season in Milwaukee.
His highest appearance was at the No. 2 singles spot against North Dakota Feb. 22 in a tight match (4-6, 5-7) against Leandro Zgraggen of the Fighting Hawks, who would later be named the Summit League’s Peak Performer of the Month. Blagoev reiterated his focus on continued growth from advancing in the Golden Eagles’ lineup as a first-year athlete.
“I feel like I’m playing some of my best tennis yet, and I’m making every single match close or within reach,” Blagoev said. “It’s just that some of the guys that I’ve been playing are super good. I’ve never been at this level of tennis before, it’s just a great experience, I’ve had so many matches that I’ve been right there, and I feel like getting that experience has been huge.”
With the unique dynamic of only having first-years and juniors on the squad this season, Vazquez said it’s been a productive learning process for the entire team.
“It’s a lot of learning from both sides, because as upperclassmen, we learn a lot,” Vasquez said. “Basically, last year, we were in the first-years’ shoes, it’s like a whole new jump. So, it’s been a process, there’s been rough times, really good times, but as a team we always go through it, and I wouldn’t change it.”
“We learn from our mistakes, and that’s been a really big thing, at some point failure will occur, but eventually, everything’s for the best and the greater good.”
This article was written by Mikey Severson. He can be reached at michael.severson@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @MikeySeversonMU.