While many seasoned and new Briton tennis players were perfecting their skills this summer, layers of concrete were being served by construction crews as part of a project to renovate the college’s tennis courts.
This project comes on the heels of a long winter at Albion, one that Director of Tennis, Kacie Zuck, claimed was very rough on the outdoor courts.
“When spring came, only three of our six outdoor courts were deemed playable for matches due to cracks and dead trenches,” Zuck explained. “Since there was no way we could have anticipated our courts would be in such a state after the weather, we played our spring season with some special circumstances, either moving up match times or playing half our singles matches outside and half inside. Going forward from that season, we needed new courts.”
Zuck is also confident about the composition of the new courts, given that crews are using post-tensioned concrete which has double the lifetime of an average tennis court. All this ensuring that the courts would remain playable for years to come.
Zuck’s excitement is reciprocated by the athletes within the program. “I was pleasantly surprised to hear that we were getting new courts,” said Josh McGarry, a junior from Macomb. “We really needed an upgrade, so this is exciting.”
Once complete, Zuck anticipates the courts to be a powerful tool for the advancement of Albion College tennis. “They will allow us to not only have a much better playing environment in practice and matches but will also be a great asset when it comes to recruiting for future years as well.”
Official competition for both the men’s and women’s programs begins in mid-September with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional Championships. The men are set to compete at Kalamazoo College, while the women will travel to Oberlin College in Ohio.
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