Game, set, match in the desert

Winnipeg student athletes anchor ThunderWolves tennis team.

(Winnipeg: Submitted article) It’s not unusual to hear of Canadian students attending colleges and universities in the US. But three young men from Winnipeg at the same school is rare. And those three making up half of the school’s men’s tennis team? What are the odds?

Senior Alex Lesiuk (Vincent Massey High School), junior Saul Shrom (Gray Academy) and freshman Shane Nicholls (Westwood Collegiate) have taken their skills learned on Winnipeg courts and are making an impact at Colorado State University in Pueblo, Colorado. Alex and Saul are Number 1 and 2 players, respectively, on Head Coach Mark Schlief’s team, while Shane, who joined them in January, plays as number 6.

These highly motivated young men have formed a tight bond with their teammates from Colorado, Oregon and Veracruz, Mexico. By all accounts they’re loving life in the Colorado Desert. The team has struggled this year playing in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference against powerhouses like Western New Mexico, Colorado Mesa and Metro State. Although incurring more losses than wins, throughout their season the team has had some close results and has shown gritty play and great team sportsmanship.

They enter the conference championship this weekend as the #5 seed and are hoping to knock off one of the favourites. Should they record the results they’re hoping for, there is no doubt the three lads from Winnipeg will be at least 50% responsible for the team’s success.

See also: Pack hoping to ride Winnipeg connection to RMAC Championship this weekend