Written and Media by Ransom Cochrane.
There are countless teams, players, coaches, and captains across the country, and no two are alike. Each team changes each year; you lose players and coaches and you gain some. One of the most challenging assignments of being a coach is managing and maintaining each team season to season. Coaches assign a captain or many captains to help lead and manage the players. Many captains have their own ways of being a leader, and many are successful in this, and can lead their team to victory.
Coach Brannon, the head coach of the Greenville University Men’s Tennis team, assigned student-athlete Nate Wieland as the men’s team captain. Wieland, the only senior on the team, with four years of commitment, was deemed fit for the position. Wieland has a lot of authority, but with that authority comes responsibilities and commitment to his coach and fellow players. Wieland is super excited to get more involved with the team and Coach Brannon. This spring season’s schedule is jam-packed and the entire tennis squad is excited about the competition.
Wieland is fit for the job as captain. He is a great student that excels on and off the court. He is currently an assistant CRE (Coordinator of Resident Education) for Janssen Hall and has been an RC (Resident Chaplin) in previous years. He has been in leadership positions before, so it is nothing new for him to be out leading the 2018 men’s tennis team. Like most sports, all the spots are open and they must be filled by the best and most competitive players. Being captain and leader of the team does not automatically reserve him a spot. “All spots are going to be super competitive, everyone is working really hard to compete for their spot,” says Wieland.
Building culture is one of the most important things when trying to compete at a high level. Wieland believes this group of student-athletes has created an amazing culture and has nothing bad to say. Wieland enjoys everything Coach Brannon does for the team. The coach is very involved and active in the team. All the players know that when he practices, he will give them a run for their money. Wieland sees a ton of potential throughout the team and is super excited to see them play. Even more specifically, he cannot wait to see what Gabriel Munez, Zach Plocher, and Daniel Pieplow have to offer the team. These three athletes are transfer students and have made enormous strides getting into the swing of things.
Wieland does an amazing job talking about his position as the head tennis captain and what goes into a job like this, as well as speaking about his fellow student-athletes. Listen to this quick interview with Nate Weiland as he explains a little bit about the GU Men’s Tennis team!
Can I
please
stop
coughing?
so tired
[divide]
