University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Senior Spotlight: Eli Ogilvy
9/8/2019 12:35:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Coming off of a junior season in which he finished with a singles record of 14-13 and a doubles record of 18-8, Eli Ogilvy is prepared to take on a sizable leadership role with the Gopher men's tennis team heading into the 2019-20 season. On a team that consists of five underclassmen and only a pair of seniors, including Ogilvy, the senior is prepared to help lead the Maroon & Gold into what looks to be a very promising year. Find out what Eli's thoughts are on last year's season, as well as this coming season, in this week's senior spotlight!
What have you been up to over the summer?
Eli Ogilvy: This summer I was on campus taking a class. I was taking an organic chemistry lab, so I had a pretty busy summer with that. I actually played in the Red River Open in Fargo, North Dakota with Jackson Allen in around July, and we ended up winning the doubles portion of the tournament. Jackson also ended up beating me in the singles semifinals of the tournament too. Other than that, I got to spend a few weeks home in August, and now I'm back here.
What was your favorite moment/memory from the 2018-19 season?
EO: The best moment last season, at least for me, was when we went to Alabama at the beginning of the season. They were ranked around 18th in the country at the time and they had a really good home record, so I guess on paper we weren't really supposed to win. Personally I had just come back from an injury, so it was my first singles match of the season as well. Everybody was just playing really well, and we ended up beating them 4-3, and to beat them 4-3 away from home was a really big accomplishment for us. From that we went on a hot streak, and a few weeks later we were ranked 15th in the country.
What are you most looking forward to for the coming season?
EO: Well we have a very new team, and being a senior I have only really gotten the chance to play with mostly the same guys for the past three years, but this year since we have such a new team, it will just be really exciting to see how we do since we're so young now.
What do you look to accomplish heading into your fourth and final season with the Gophers?
EO: Personally, I would just like to just contribute as much as I can to the team. Last year, Jackson and I played a lot of doubles matches together, so I'm looking forward to improving as much as I can with him in doubles. I just want to try to be as much of a leader as I can this year, since I'm one of two seniors on this team and we have so many freshmen. And then obviously as a team, making the NCAA tournament is always a big goal of our's.
What do you plan to do once you graduate from the 'U' in the spring?
EO: So I guess for the past three years, I've been planning on going to medical school and graduating with a degree in psychology. Everything I've been doing in the past and even over the summer has been geared towards applying to med school at some point. I won't be applying this year, but if all goes according to plan I'll be applying in the year after next. We'll see how that goes because who knows, maybe something else will come up that I'm interested in.
What message do you have for the three freshmen joining the team this year about playing college tennis at the University of Minnesota?
EO: I would say enjoy it while you can, because university goes fast, and when you're playing tennis and having a bunch of fun, it goes even faster.