Marshal Mikolajczak '11 Recruiting Profile

Playing tennis has always been an important thing in my life. After picking up a racquet as a toddler I always had a place for tennis in my heart and I often played with my father. I joined my family when we played tennis at our cottage on Pewaukee lake and this is where my love for the sport developed. Three generations of my family enjoyed tennis every single day we gathered at our cottage. My experiences playing with my family created my overall understanding of tennis. With my family at a young age, I learned that tennis was a sport that took one away from daily life and offered relief from any stresses or pains. Besides spending time with my family, the competitive aspect of tennis was the most enjoyable part and it suited my personality perfectly. I played to win, even when my grandfather, or father were on the other side of the court. I used the values I learned from family outings and began to play competitively at Shorewood Intermediate school. I earned the first singles spot and I was a grand contributor to my team. I learned that Playing tennis for any team would give me a good chance at winning and that became my ultimate goal as a young player. I put in some work at the North Shore Elite as I trained and prepared myself for high school competitive play. I earned my way into Marquetee University High school and played for Joe, Ewort, who now works as a tennis pro for Mequon Elite. Under his guidance I developed a buck shot of a first serve and worked on my ground strokes and mental game. During my first year, I won JV conference at the first singles spot and my Team took runner up by three points. I never lost my cool confidence during match play and my mental control greatly helped my win this title. Even as a Freshman I emerged as a leader among my peers and was given the MVP award by coach Ewort. I found that the role of a leader on any team suited me best due to my ability to pump up my teammates, and urge them to victory; it was my greatest attribute. AS I increased my status at Marquette I went on to play Varsity Reserve for coach Luigi, Schmidt and me and three other guys rotated singles spots. I stopped growing at 5'11"+, and I had developed quick and agile movements from playing football and tennis. My best skill as a tennis player would have to be my first serve topping at around 118mph as clocked at my club and my forehand groundstroke. After sophomore year I switched back into the Shorewood School System and achieved the first singles spot on a D2 varsity team. I became quicker and worked on my skills enough to help me believe that I could play tennis in college. I would love to play tennis for any medium-large college where I would offer my developed skills as a leader, all court tennis player, and an unstoppable drive to win.