This week, I had the pleasure of speaking to freshman Men’s Tennis player Kieran Laursen. Laursen has had an outstanding freshman season, remaining undefeated in both singles and doubles play. Alongside his partner, sophomore Ben Tomhave, Laursen looks to end his season undefeated and work harder for upcoming seasons.
Arianna Cohen: Where are you from? What made you choose Lawrence?
Kieran Laursen: I’m from Traverse City, Mich. Lawrence really kind of had everything that I wanted. Even on paper it had the small-size liberal arts idea, but it was also mainly a gut feeling. I felt that if I didn’t go here it would have felt all wrong.
AC: How was the transition from high school tennis to the collegiate level?
KL: Definitely a huge step up. Our number-one guy is better than anything I ever saw at the high school level.
AC: So far this season you are undefeated in singles and doubles. What has contributed to this success?
KL: The be entirely honest, I work really well with my partner [Ben Tomhave]. When we get our opportunities to play we really fight and work hard and well together to achieve our continued success.
AC: You’ve played more matches in doubles than singles, but is there one that you prefer?
KL: I personally prefer singles. It puts a lot more pressure on myself to be held accountable for my own mistakes. When you’re playing doubles, there’s a lot of pressure on you to perform for not only you but for your partner, and so it really adds to the overall intensity of the match.
AC: How is it playing with your teammate, Ben?
KL: When we went to Florida over spring break [as a team] we spent a ton of time together. It really helped bring our movement and communication on the court together.
AC: Do you have any pregame rituals before you step onto the court?
KL: Our team cheer is “Duck, Duck, Goose.” We always sit down in a circle and play. When someone yells “goose,” we just run around in a circle and it gets us pretty pumped up.
AC: What are your goals for the rest of the season as well as the rest of your time on the tennis team?
KL: With the season coming to a close, I really just want to end it with Ben and I still being undefeated. Over the next few years I really just want to see myself get significantly better and really put some good numbers on the board for the team.