Courtesy of Alessandra Cinfio
Boise State has become more and more diverse through its history, especially when it comes to its student athletes.
There’s one team in particular that holds a more unconventional platform for where its athletes come from.
Filipp Pogostkin is a senior on the tennis team who hails from Moscow, Russia. Never having an injury to hold him back from playing a season, this will be his last season with Boise State Tennis.
The tennis team is filled with students from all around the world. Currently there are 10 people on their team, five of them being from out of the country, including England, Sweden, Russia and Australia.
“I think it’s what makes our team who we are. Having so much diversity on the team actually brings us together and makes our team stronger,” Pogostkin said.
The tennis season is year round, with the fall primarily playing individual matches. Head Coach Greg Patton is the deciding factor on who goes to which matches according to the readiness of a player.
This fall the men had an opportunity to play in seven tournament, improving individual play. The spring is officially when their team season begins and it will conclude
in May.
Their average schedule consists of practice for two hours Monday through Friday, followed by weight training three days a week.
“Being a student-athlete is no walk in the park, it takes a lot of time and discipline to handle school and tennis,” Pogostkin said.
During their season in the spring, the men are always on the road, traveling almost every weekend.
“Traveling all the time can be tough with school, but we’ve been used to traveling all our lives that by now we know how to handle it. The teachers are usually understanding when it comes to assignments and due dates,” Pogostkin said.
Last year, the men’s team were the Mountain West Champions and ended with a final ranking of 39th nationally. The roster will increase in January with two new guys joining the team, one from Venezuela and the other from England.
“With our full roster in the spring, our team can do a great deal of damage this year. We will have enough depth and heart to go up in the rankings,” Pogostkin said.
Whether they’re from out of the state or out of the country, Pogostkin and the men’s team will be a team to reckon with at the commencement of the spring season in 2013.
