Senior Gus Tettamble has a lot to celebrate. An undefeated tennis season, an easy District win even with an injured shoulder, plus a bright future. Next year, Tettamble, a top junior player in the region, will join the D1 program at the University of Tulsa, a school with excellent facilities and a long history. 

Last year, Tulsa finished in the top 30 teams in the nation and qualified for the national tournament. The success is no doubt a credit to their coaching. Tulsa’s head coach, Vince Westbrook, has been with the school for several decades and built a legacy of success around him. Alongside him, Tulsa recently welcomed a new, younger coach who has worked with successful programs all over the country. The coaching pair stood out to Tettamble and his family. 

“Their coaching dynamic is really neat. Their head coach is one of the most experienced college coaches out there. Plus, to have a fresh set of eyes along with a really experienced coach seems like a really great opportunity,” said Tettamble.

The commitment to Tulsa sees Tettamble’s tennis journey come full circle. Despite the major success he’s seeing now, he didn’t always think he’d get to play in college. 

“Going into freshman year, people told me that it was a possibility if I'd keep working hard. To me it seemed a little far-fetched but the harder I worked and the better I got the more and more real it seemed,” he said.

After all the work he’s done in recent years, he’s excited to play at the next level. In fact, Tettamble feels his late start to competitive tennis gives him an edge. 

“For me, I’m feeling very fresh. A lot of guys have been playing tennis at a high level for like five years before they get to college. I’ve played other sports and I’ve only been playing at a high level for like two years. Some people would call that a disadvantage but I’m seeing it as a good thing.”

Also important to Tettamble was staying in the Missouri Valley, the region he’s dominated in tennis tournaments over the past few months. In staying near home, he hopes to keep connecting with those who have been supporting him throughout his tennis career so far.