University of Minnesota Athletics
Freshmen Making a Difference for Gophers
2/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Story written by Rachel Timmerman
In their first season playing tennis at the University of Minnesota, freshmen Felix Corwin and Matic Spec have become a big part of their team's success.
They hold a combined 37-7 singles record and have gone 14-3 in the spring, helping the Gophers to a 7-3 team record with three wins over ranked opponents.
"They've had extremely successful seasons," head coach Geoff Young said. "They've won a lot of matches for us. I would say that they're a huge part of our success."
Despite their previous inexperience playing at the college level, they said they've had an easy transition to playing at Minnesota.
"I would say they're beyond their years," Young said. "I think they've adjusted great, and quicker than normal. I couldn't imagine a freshman adjusting any better."
But the transition was a lot different for Spec than it was for Corwin. Spec is from Slovenia, and had to adapt to a completely different environment with a new school system and new language.
"In my country, there's no connection between school and sports," Spec said. "That's why I chose college because it enables me to go to school normally while playing lots of tennis."
Being the only freshmen, Corwin and Spec are roommates, and became fast friends when they met last semester.
"We both were super excited about what we could contribute to the team and that kind of built our relationship even more," Corwin said.
They also had a lot of the same classes together in the fall, and spent most of their time together.
"We were together most of the day," Spec said. "There was barely a moment that we weren't in the same space."
During the Big Ten Indoor Championships in the fall, the two met in the finals, and Corwin won. Though there is some friendly competition present between the two of them, it is only to better each other's play.
"As far as being competitive with each other, I'd say it's no different than any of the other guys on the team," Corwin said. "We're just trying to get the best out of each other. We're gonna be competitive, but it's really just for the sake of improvement."
Although they've both enjoyed great success this season, Corwin said they barely think about their individual records.
"It's all about team chemistry and getting better with the team," Corwin said. "It's hardly individual. All we talk about and worry about is how the team does as a whole."
Playing with all upperclassmen and one sophomore, Corwin and Spec are learning what it takes to lead the team in future seasons.
"There's gonna be a lot of turnover in the next couple of years, so I think they are a great core for the future of the team," Young said. "They're gonna be two guys that are gonna be great to build a program around in the future."
And Young is grateful to have them both on the team.
"These are two amazing kids that are just a pleasure," Young said. "They're great players, people, [and] students. I feel really lucky to have them both on the team."
Players Mentioned
