By: Jim Hague
Bryanna Thaxton just loved being a tennis player at Rutgers-Newark.
She adored the school itself.
“I enjoyed the campus and the character of Newark,” said Thaxton, a native of Piscataway. “I liked the smaller campus size and the diversity of the school.”
And as for tennis?
“I love playing my sport,” said Thaxton, who was a member of the Scarlet Raiders’ tennis team in both her freshman and sophomore years. “I loved being active. I found the way to make time to play tennis. I always kept my schedule flexible and open to play.”
It wasn’t easy to do, considering that Thaxton is enrolled in Rutgers-Newark’s prestigious Honors College and is majoring in biology and mathematics.
A year ago, Thaxton was all set to play and worked diligently to get ready.
“I spent a lot of time trying to prepare for the season,” Thaxton said. “I did a lot of conditioning on my own. I lost 50 pounds. I felt like I was really ready to have a good season.”
So everything was perfect, right?
Well, not quite. Because of a lack of participation numbers and interested players, the athletic administration had to make the tough decision a year ago to discontinue the sport.
“It was heartbreaking,” Thaxton said. “I love playing my sport and then I had someone telling me I couldn’t play. I felt all that effort to get ready was wasted. I had no idea that this was going to happen.”
But the athletic administration, spearheaded by athletic director Mark Griffin and associate director of athletics and senior women’s sports administrator Mary Stadelmann, decided to bring women’s tennis back after the one-year hiatus.
And the first piece of business necessary was to put a capable head coach in place. They didn’t have to search far and wide. Andres Bustani, the successful head coach of the R-N men’s team, decided to take over the women’s program as well. In collegiate tennis, the women compete in the fall season, while men’s tennis is scheduled in the spring.
“I was happy about that,” Thaxton said. “I knew he was the coach with the men’s team, so I already knew he was a good coach.”
But there were no guarantees. Every Scarlet Raider was starting from scratch with the new coach.
“For the most part, I had to come in with the mentality that I didn’t have a position,” Thaxton said. “I liked his coaching style. I didn’t want him to be close minded with me.”
Bustani was encouraged by the play and the attitude of all of the Scarlet Raiders, but especially Thaxton.
“I knew she didn’t play for a while and she was a little rusty,” Bustani said. “But I knew she was going to be one of our top players. She worked hard with her fitness. I also knew right away that she was a hard worker. It just took a little while for her to get in shape.”
Thaxton admitted that she wasn’t in the best tennis condition.
“I definitely felt a little rusty,” Thaxton said. “I was working hard with my technique. I was definitely off my game. But I knew I could be a good player again. I have the ability to get to the net and I have the resolve and the composure.”
And although the Scarlet Raiders have struggled through the season, Thaxton has been solid at second singles and first doubles.
Last Saturday against SUNY-Delhi, Thaxton won both of her matches. She won her singles match, winning two of three games after dropping the first game. She stormed back to win 4-6, 6-0 and 10-5 in the deciding set and with partner Nell Karpinski, she won by a score of 9-7.
Being able to juggle a heavy, intense course load in school and playing top-flight collegiate tennis is certainly not easy. But Thaxton is holding her own, carrying a 3.0 grade point average as she considers the options of attending medical school. Thaxton would love to study dermatology.
“It’s a field I enjoy,” Thaxton said. “I have already launched my own line of skin care products.”
Bustani enjoys having someone with Thaxton’s experience on his roster.
“I think she knows the game,” Bustani said. “She loves competing. She just enjoys playing. She never misses a practice. She always makes the extra effort. She’s one of the hardest working players. It was hard to recruit players to come and play after we dropped it, but having someone like Bryanna around helped a lot.”
Bustani loves Thaxton’s personality.
“I love having her with us,” Bustani said. “She’s a great kid who helps bringing others in to play tennis. Her personality is sometimes kind of goofy, but she’s always looking out for other people. She’s definitely the leader of this team. She’s goofy and funny, but she’s a nice personal girl.”
Because Rutgers-Newark discontinued women’s tennis for that year, Thaxton still has another year of eligibility remaining. No question, Bustani will welcome Thaxton back for another year.
“I already asked her if she could come back,” Bustani said. “I asked her if she was done.”
“I might need an extra semester to finish up,” Thaxton said. “So why not use it playing tennis?”
So Thaxton will return next fall for another year of tennis with the Scarlet Raiders.
“I have no clue what will take place after that,” Thaxton said. “I already have some connections with some hospitals, so we will see what happens.”
But tennis will be a major part of Bryanna Thaxton’s life – after an unforeseen respite.
“It comes with doing things that are important to you,” Thaxton said. “I signed up for this a long time ago. It helps being productive and being able to compete. I just enjoy playing my sport.”
And her sport is now going to be a part of Thaxton’s daily existence long after her days as a Scarlet Raider are done.
