VESTAL, N.Y. – Under ninth-year head coach Nick Zieziula, Binghamton men's tennis has built a culture that puts personal growth, service and human compassion at the forefront.

The team's academic achievements have become the standard, even among a high-ranking athletic department whose student-athlete GPA outpaces the campus student body each semester. The men's tennis program has captured the athletic department's Academic Cup for highest team GPA six times, including this past fall when it produced a record 3.87 GPA. But this team doesn't limit its efforts to just the court and classroom. With Zieziula providing the shining light, his team continues to use the sport of tennis to create bonds and opportunities that connect us all.

Never was that more evident than on a recent road trip to the New York metropolitan area. While most teams would be content to focus on two tough road matches in a busy two-day span, the Bearcats did so much more.

On Saturday, Feb. 11, with a match against Fordham looming in the afternoon, BU traveled to Brooklyn and the Ingersoll Community Center, where the Kings County Tennis League runs free clinics and programming. Former BU tennis player Joe Ceriello is the executive director of the KCTL, which serves youth in and around Brooklyn public housing by offering tennis and educational activities to assist in healthy exercise and promote skill development and relationship building.

The Bearcats helped coach two different hour-long sessions in the morning, each with 15-20 kids.

Why do it?

"Tennis is an individual sport, but none of our players have gotten to this level on their own," Zieziula explains. "We have all been helped along the way by coaches, parents, family, and friends in our tennis and academic journeys. We try to pick projects where the guys can use tennis to engage with youth and pay it forward. Our engagement also helps reinforce our first team core value, which is gratitude. When we are truly grateful for the opportunities Binghamton tennis has provided, it helps us maintain a positive attitude when we face adversity, and it also pushes us to share that same joy and opportunity we've had on the court and in the classroom." 

After working with the local children, BU headed to the Life Time indoor facility in West Harrison, N.Y. and pulled out a 4-3 win over the Atlantic 10 member Rams.

On Sunday, the Bearcats and NJIT combined to create a unique day of collaboration and competition in Newark. Nearly two dozen KCTL students came to the Highlanders' Naimoli Tennis Center for an hour-long clinic that featured both teams. The ties between the two programs are strong, with former Bearcat standout Tiago Lourenco now serving as an assistant with the Highlanders. After the clinic, the young students got a campus tour and a Q&A session with the NJIT women's tennis team about college and academics.

After that, the students returned to the courts to enjoy the action. NJIT prevailed 4-3 in a tight match. On hand was Binghamton alum Justin Wexler, who is on the KCTL executive board. Another Binghamton alum, Karen Levine, is executive board chair.
 
"We partnered with NJIT for the on-court clinic because that really emphasized another one of our core values … Compete," Zieziula said. "We take the word 'compete' not as something that we do against opponents but rather as something that we do together with other teams. We get better when teams play their best on court with us and we have to raise our level. The opportunity to run a clinic prior to the match and work together on court coaching the students from KCTL was a unique opportunity to try to put that ethos into practice. I think the more we can understand that we are all working together, even when we are both trying to get the same result of winning the match, we can understand sportsmanship in a different way and create a great example for those who see us compete." 
 
And when the match was over, it was back to routine, with Zieziula behind the wheel of the van that transported the Bearcats back to campus late Sunday night after a full two days on the road. Textbooks and laptops now took center stage as the student-athletes seamlessly turned their focus back to their academic pursuits, which as the team's 3.87 GPA shows, are lofty.
 
Senior Michael Pawlowicz, a four-year entry at the top of BU's lineup, has balanced high-level tennis with a 3.96 cumulative GPA in a dual major of philosophy, politics & law and political science. Pawlowicz also endured a lengthy rehab from an ACL injury and perhaps best personifies the grit and multi-faceted drive of a typical Bearcat student-athlete. But he also embraces the community service, despite the time commitment on top of an already challenging personal calendar.
 
"For me it's really about the kids," he says. "It was just great to see them have a good time and to have a good system in place at the KCTL. We try to carry a value of gratitude. It was nice to have the opportunity to work with the kids and credit to Coach Zieziula for seeking this out."
 
Fellow senior Dan Pergel is a pre-med student with a perfect 4.0 GPA in biological sciences and is also a member of the prestigious Binghamton University Scholars Program. In the years to come Pergel will use his considerable gifts to improve the health of his medical patients. For now, his instruction and friendship on the court just might inspire equally valuable health and happiness.      
 
"I think it's great that we can use our tennis experience to help the kids have a good time and improve," he adds.
 
A wonderful, shared experience that benefits the young kids and college players alike  … with tennis positioned at the core. With Zieziula's passionate drive, Binghamton's tennis program continues to serve up winners, on and off the court.