The pair of Kewpies balance tennis and academic commitments.
Hickman tennis players Ben Liu and Cole Pruitt have grown accustomed to balancing academics and athletics.
Pruitt, who scored a 34 on his ACT, has applied to Duke, Yale, Michigan, and Brown, while Liu, who is on pace to finish near the top of his class, will attend MU and intends on majoring in advertising.
Pruitt says all of his academic achievements have been gratifying, but they don’t give him the same sort of enjoyment tennis does.
“You really have to put effort on the tennis court and focus on the game,” Pruitt said. “It’s nice to focus on (tennis) rather than school. In a perfect world, I would prefer tennis. I would like to spend more time doing it.”
Though much of Liu and Pruitt’s time is spent on homework or college preparation, they also take part in other activities at Hickman, including student government, Columbia Aeronautic and Space Association and Key Club. These substantial time commitments force Liu and Pruitt to prioritize their time.
Pruitt admits his schedule can be overwhelming, referring to the problems as “time crunches.”
However, even with all of the time commitments, Liu and Pruitt still find time for tennis practice.
“(School) can be stressful at times.” Liu said. “After all that build up, you can let everything loose.”
Hickman tennis coach Andy Materer says Liu and Pruitt are true student athletes. After practice ends, Pruitt and Liu often stay to play pick-up games with other teammates until they have to leave. Materer says sometimes Liu practices until the start of his 7 p.m. student government meeting, where he serves as student body secretary.
For Materer, dealing with Liu and Pruitt’s schedules can be difficult.
“Having players who are multi-talented takes balance.” Materer said. “We are constantly sorting out players schedules so that they can come to practice or meets.”
Though his players’ schedules can occasionally cause problems, Materer says their dedication and contributions to the team more than make up for any difficulties.
“They’re putting tennis on their priority list and they want to make it count,” Materer said. “They have to sacrifice other activities for the greater good of the team, which makes them pull together.”