Arvid Swan is many things: an athlete, a father and a coach. But until recently, an artist was not one of them. While it may seem like an improbable profession for a tennis coach, the arrival of the three freshmen that make up tennisrecruiting.net’s 12th ranked class has thrust Swan into the position of sculptor.
“These freshmen are like a fresh piece of clay, and Swan is DaVinci,” said senior Philip Kafka. “He’s creating art. He’s an artist.”
And like any good artisan, Swan gives credit where credit is due.
“I think we have, from a training standpoint, one of the best tennis opportunities in Division-I right now,” Swan said. “We’ve got a great facility and a tremendous assistant coach in Chris Drake; I think he’s the best assistant coach in the country. And I think we put together a very good program where you can develop your tennis game and you don’t have to shortchange your academics.”
Even with an excellent facility and a great assistant coach, it is ultimately the players that determine the success of the program. And finally, Swan has found the missing piece to the puzzle.
Despite the season being three weeks young, Swan’s freshmen have shown no signs of their age.
Super Spector
Meet Eric Spector.
Spector, originally from Northbrook, Ill., traveled the shortest distance to get to Evanston. But in his career, tennis has taken Spector all over the world.
Spector, the second-ranked prospect in the Midwest by tennisrecruiting.net, competed in both England and France as a member of the USTA National team in 2004. Spector cites both Swan and Drake as the main reasons for his matriculation to NU.
“I liked coaches Swan and Drake, and they really made me want to play here,” Spector said.
Thus far, Spector has been off to a torrid start in both singles and doubles. In singles, Spector is 3-0, never surrendering more than four games in any match. In doubles, Spector and graduate student Alex Thams are 4-0. After starting the season with an 8-6 victory against Brandon Bayliss and Ben Raynauld of Butler University, Spector and Thams have gone on to win all three of their subsequent matches by a score of 8-2.
According to Swan, Spector draws his strength from his baseline game.
“(Spector) has tremendous groundstrokes,” he said. “He doesn’t miss, and he hits the ball very deep.” Swan said.
Graves as good as gravy
Josh Graves, who hails from Milwaukee, was the third-ranked prospect in the Midwest by tennisrecruiting.net. For Graves, the main motivating factor in his college choice was the combination of NU’s great academics and athletics.
“The coaches made me believe that this was going to be a good program and that I would be working hard in both academics and athletics,” he said.
While the lineup has varied throughout the first five matches of the season, Graves debuted at the No. 5 singles position. Graves is 3-0 in singles this year, never losing more than three games in a set. The freshman and his partner junior captain Alex Sanborn, have also dominated in doubles, starting the season 5-0. The duo has held down the No. 2 doubles spot, having won all five matches by a combined score of 40-17.
According to Swan, Graves’ biggest strength is his all court game.
“(Graves) can finish at the net as well as play very solid at the baseline,” Swan said.
German sensation
Rounding out the class is Tobias Reitz.
Reitz, a German native, and Thams, originally from Sweden, are the only international team members. Reitz’s college choice was a little more complicated.
“In Germany, I could have given up tennis and gone on to college, or I could have dropped out of school and tried to go pro in tennis.”
Reitz wanted to continue with both sport and study and was referred to NU by a former Wildcats tennis player. While this is his first year in the United States, Reitz is certainly familiar with NU’s tennis program, and he has distinct goals set out for the team.
“This year, we’d like to finish in the top five of the Big Ten, and we’d like to make the NCAA tournament,” he said.
After an ankle injury limited his play in the Cats’ opening weekend, Reitz still debuted at No. 1 doubles with senior Marc Dwyer. The pair started the season 1-1 and matched that record in their second set of matches. Playing No. 2 singles for the first time against Western Illinois and Illinois-Chicago, Reitz finished the weekend 2-0, beating his opponents by a combined score of 24-10.
Being the tallest player on the team at 6-foot-4, Reitz uses his size to his advantage.
“(Reitz) has a big game, a serve and volley game,” Swan said.
Back to the future
After inheriting a team with only three returning players, this class is not only Swan’s first; it is one of the best classes in school history. And while it may be easy to look to the future, the freshman class has wasted no time changing the direction of the program. In describing the new attitude of the team, Kafka said it best.
“They add a new energy; they’re really excited to be out here,” he said of the freshmen. “They have revitalized the tennis brand everywhere on campus.”
While the freshmen have been the recipients of early praise, Swan is quick to laud the upperclassmen on the team.
“It’s the older guys who have established the culture here,” said the second year head coach. “And each class coming in has a responsibility to meet our expectations.”
And if Swan gets his way, the new freshmen, along with the six returning team members, will turn what was once a blank slate into a masterpiece.
