Athlete of the Week: Mike Schoumacher

Usually when someone looks at a team’s statistics list, that person will find that the top players on the team are usually juniors and seniors. But when you look at the roster for this year’s men’s tennis team, there is something that is missing: a bunch of juniors and seniors. Despite that fact, the Rose tennis team is holding a formidable third place in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC). The team looks to capture the league title this weekend at the HCAC tournament. Leading the way is sophomore mechanical engineering major Michael Schoumacher. He leads the team as the number one singles player on the team, and was honored as the HCAC Player of the Week earlier in the season. He took some time to answer some questions for the Rose Thorn.

Rose Thorn: How long have you been playing tennis?

Mike Schoumacher: Since 7th grade, I was about 12.

RT: What is your most memorable match?

MS: My most memorable match was definitely last year against Indiana Tech. Joe Rottman and I played a marathon 1 doubles match that went for about an hour and a half, and ended up winning by a close tie-breaker. Then everyone played singles, and Rose was down four matches to three, and Joe and I were still on; both of us had split sets. He ended up winning his third set, so my opponent and I were the last ones on, with everyone watching. I was down 2-3 in the third set, and Coach Hopkins came up to me and said “Well Mike, it’s all up to you. Let’s see if you can win under pressure.” I won the next four games straight, and that win ended up giving us the winning season. It was great.

RT: How would you compare Rose’s tennis program to that of your high school’s?

MS: Rose’s tennis program is much more team-oriented than my high school’s was. My high school team was very competitive statewide, we went to the finals one year and the semis two other years I was there, but we all practiced separately and there was definitely more of a me-first mentality. Rose’s team is much closer; we all have a lot of fun together.

RT: What’s the most meaningful award or recognition that you’ve received?

MS: The most meaningful recognition for me was when Coach Hopkins, at the tennis banquet last year, gave me the Freshman of the Year award. Just looking back and seeing how cool it was to come in as a freshman and be a major contributor to an experienced team was fantastic.

RT: This weekend, Rose is hosting the HCAC Tennis Championship in Indianapolis and currently Rose is third in the league. Do you think Rose can come out of the weekend with a championship?

MS: Well, the first step is winning the first match. It’s nice to be seeded third and expected to get to the second match at least, but we can’t afford to take our match against Anderson lightly. If we get past them, and Franklin (the second seed) wins their match against Manchester, we’re going to have another close one like we did with them in the regular season. A number of close matches went their way in the season meeting, all we need is one of those to go our way this time around, and we’ll see Transylvania in the finals. Against Transylvania, we just have to play well for the whole match and keep it close. Their HCAC streak is impressive, but they’re still human, and the pressure is all on them since we’re the underdogs. We did the best against them in the regular season, and if we can keep our matches close, I have confidence in us in tight-match situations.

RT: Usually the top players on any team are juniors and seniors, simply from more experience. What’s it like being a top player on the tennis team and only a sophomore?

MS: Being number one and a sophomore is really nice. I know I’m only going to get better over the next couple of years, and playing one-on-one against all these juniors and seniors from other teams is a lot of fun. It’s the same story for the rest of the team, too. We’re all freshmen and sophomores, we’re all going to get better, and we won’t be losing anyone. Our team can’t help but get stronger [in] the next two years.

RT: How has participating in a varsity sport had an effect on your experience at Rose?

MS: Playing a sport at Rose is [a] great [way] to get a break from the schoolwork. It can be a pain sometimes when you’ve got a big lab report due and you have to go play matches all weekend, but having something fun to do every day that isn’t work is great, and it really lets me connect to the school as something other than a bunch of classes.

RT: It may be a couple years off, but do you have any plans on staying involved in tennis after Rose?

MS: I hope to be playing tennis all my life. It’s a lot of fun, it’s great exercise, and it’s a well-organized sport with all the clubs and leagues you can get involved in. Outside of Rose tennis, I’d like to beat my Uncle John someday; he played for Hanover when he was in college. Other than that, I could definitely see myself joining an adult club league. I don’t see myself quitting tennis any time soon.