Olson '09 scores one victory before falling in semifinals

Author: Jeff Klein

On the evening of Oct. 14, Conrad Olson '09 arrived in Mobile, Ala. to take part in the Division-III men's tennis national tournament. Determined to get the maximum preparation before his matches, he immediately hit the courts of the tournament site that night to practice, and continued to practice on Wednesday morning.

While Olson's efforts did not lead to him reaching his ultimate goal, he nonetheless performed valiantly on the national stage. He defeated James Muliawan of Carnegie Mellon, 7-5, 6-2 in the first round before bowing out in the semifinals to Chris Goodwin of Emory by a 6-1, 7-5 score. The next day, Olson wrapped up his season by falling 6-4, 6-4 to former #1 player in the country and last year's tournament winner John Watts of Washington University in St. Louis.

Olson was happy with his performance, but believes he may have left some opportunities out on the table. "I played well," he said, "but felt that if I had played better on some of the most important points in the semifinals against Goodwin, I would have beaten him and possibly won the tournament."

According to Olson, the player from Emory could not hold a candle to Olson's athleticism and physical fitness. "I had him starting to throw up at the end of the second set," Olson said, "because physically he was hurting in the 90-degree weather and heavy humidity. But he came up with some aces and great shots which saved him."

While it is always disappointing to lose, Olson can take solace in the fact that his first-round victory means he is now ranked 4th in the country on the D-III level.

"It was a wonderful experience and a fun event," he said, "and although I am slightly disappointed because I felt I didn't play quite as well as I did at some of the matches at the regional, I am proud to finish 4th in the country, my highest ranking ever."

He continued, "I learned that I have some things to work on such as starting out the beginning of the match better, finishing short balls better, getting into net quicker, and hitting the ball deeper and heavier in order to beat the top three in the country."

Just two days ago, Olson received an invitation to represent the U.S. at the 2008 USTA International University Masters Tournament in Paris. Clearly, the sky's the limit for this senior.