By Aidan O’Connor | Play-by-Play
There is an inherent separation between student athletes and students, but Baylor men’s tennis has found a way to connect the two worlds.
“It’s just really cool to bridge that relational gap between athletics and the Baylor student body because sometimes there’s not a lot of opportunity for us to interact with Baylor athletes,” said Terra Bella, California, senior Brenna Galloway, who is VP of Philanthropy and Service for Zeta Tau Alpha. “It was just really cool to help them and get more attendance at their games and boost the morale of the guys and the people there.”
For the past five years, Baylor men’s tennis has connected to students through an idea that was initially created by former volunteer assistant coach Nich Ochran. This idea was to engage with organizations across campus through philanthropic challenges.
“You’ll have a designated match that you’ll go to as a sorority, fraternity or campus organization, and then whoever gets the most attendance at those games gets the money donated towards philanthropy,” Galloway said. “Last year, we were fortunate enough to win that participation credit. They donated $1,500 back towards our philanthropy, which is Breast Cancer Awareness, Education and Research. It was just really cool to see Baylor Athletics want to invest in something that’s not just Baylor Athletics.”
Before these challenges begin, the Bears also visit several of the organizations and plays with the winner before a match. This way, the team is not only giving to a charitable cause but enriching interpersonal connections between players and students.
“My guys being predominantly international with how much the demands are on these student-athletes, they are very focused on what they’re doing, and they’re somewhat in their own bubble world relative to a general student,” head coach Michael Woodson said. “I think any opportunity that we can have to get them integrated in with the main student population I think is wonderful.”
The effects also extend to match days with attendance providing a boost of morale to players and giving them a competitive advantage over their opponents.
“It’s a massive advantage, and it just makes it that much more fun,” Woodson said. “It’s why the guys love playing at home, getting their crowd, their people. They’re competitors, but they’re also entertainers and love the opportunity to show off their skills and their tools to new people.”
Through and through, these philanthropic challenges have deepened the relationship between the Bears and the student body. Now looking to the future, Baylor men’s tennis hopes to expand and grow the challenges as well as continue other avenues of connection such as Baylor Giving Day and the Pro Bear Bash.
“We’re going to try to, this year, expand to other organizations, club, intramural teams, you know, different, all student organizations, and try to incentivize them to get more involved with us and find ways that we can benefit like causes,” Woodson said.
The Bears begin their fall campaign with the ITA All-American Championships on Sept. 19 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
