Jayden Jagolinzer '24 Recruiting Profile

Sports have always been a vital part of my identity. Basketball, dancing, gymnastics, and soccer were staples of my childhood; however it was tennis where I excelled when I was Introduced to the sport at age 4. Playing at an elite level has fundamentally shaped my character and provided personal agency and motivation while honing my task-management and ability to balance academics with my athletic commitments. Furthermore, the structure and rigorous schedule required to maintain and climb the UTR rankings requires immense discipline. I was awarded Gulliver Varsity Tennis Outstanding Competitor during 9th grade, and as a sophomore I was awarded Girls Tennis State 2A Champion and Girls Tennis Districts & Regional Champion. During 2022, I also was awarded 904 Tennis USTA Level 5 Championship Girls 18 finalist and USTA Missouri Level 5 Girls 18 Champion 2022 in Singles and Doubles.

My father’s accident and subsequent death greatly affected my progression in the sport. I took time away from tennis to care for him and moved from Florida to Kansas to be closer to my extended family.  When I returned to the sport, I found myself in a new environment outside of the traditional varsity high school experience that I had always known. This change required me to pivot, changing the way I scheduled practices and training sessions as I assimilated to a new academic environment. While it was challenging both physically and mentally to have to work my way back up in the game, I was able to harness my inner strength and motivation, training two times a day and five days a week, with added sports conditioning every day. My weekends were spent traveling and playing in tournaments, oftentimes playing up to 10 full hours a day in both singles and doubles. Facing 4 matches a day was difficult, but using the skills of structure, time management, integrity, self-motivation, and perseverance I was able to continue to improve and raise my ranking, winning in 2023 W25 Wichita, Women’s Doubles Main Draw, earning a WTA point (professional point) in tennis from this tournament as well as winning USTA Level 2 Battle of the Mississippi BG18 as champion. My personal journey has not only demonstrated my dedication but has shown me my capacity for endurance and my ability to persevere.

I understand the importance of community, and in college I look forward to forging new relationships amongst my teammates and degree-seeking peers. My experience in both singles and doubles has instilled both senses of personal accountability and constructive collaboration. I think that working as a cohesive unit that challenges one another allows us to keep raising our bars of excellence as we climb our way through college and life.