women’s tennis
KIMMY GUERIN Class: Freshman Birthdate: Sept. 1, 1995 Hometown: Weston, Conn. Planned major: Undecided. “Right now, I’m interested in Health and Exercise Science.” Favorite book: “The Giver” by Lois Lowry Favorite sports movie: “The Blind Side” Favorite food: Pizza Any pregame superstitions? “I have a weird thing with the number 11. I’ve had it my whole life — before I serve, I sometimes have to bounce the ball exactly 11 times, that sort of thing. It’s very weird.” Favorite athlete: Chris Paul. “I’ve always thought he was such a good point guard. And he went to Wake, of course, so that makes it even more fun to watch him.”
Patty Murren
16
gold rush magazine
// k i m m y gu e ri n
freshman year, so I always knew of Wake Forest,” Guerin said. “Once I started to hear more what the school and the team were about, it later became one of my top choices, and it became a reality.” Guerin’s family emphasized sports when she was growing up, and she said she began to play tennis at age 6, along with several other sports. She said her favorite sport to watch is basketball, but it was tennis and soccer that soon emerged as her favorites to play. “I was better at tennis, and I knew it would take me further,” Guerin said. “My goals were pretty high — by seventh or eighth grade, I was already thinking about college tennis, maybe getting a scholarship.” Guerin finished her recruiting process early. She made unofficial visits to WFU, Boston College, William & Mary, Notre Dame and Tulane in the fall and winter of her junior year at Weston, including a visit to Winston-Salem that February. “I connected with the girls on the team really quickly and the coaching staff,” Guerin said. “I loved the Tennis Center … it was definitely the best fit for me.” Guerin is part of coach Jeff Wyshner’s four-person recruiting class — a group that was rated the No. 8 class in America by TennisRecruiting.net. That makes two highly touted classes in a row for WFU, a run that has the Deacons hopeful of a resurgence in the ACC this season. Guerin has proven her worth even among that elite group — she started the dual-match season playing at the No. 2 or No. 3 singles spot. “She has been a phenomenal freshman,” Wyshner said. “She has adjusted well academically and athletically. She does great in a team environment, she’s a consistently hard worker, and she’s helping herself get better.” The 5-foot-8 freshman’s go-to skills are her big serve, plus a backhand that Wyshner calls “borderline professional level.” She said she’s been more of a baseline player all her life but is learning to play forward to become a better doubles player, while also improving her singles game. “In junior tournaments, doubles has never been much of a focus,” Guerin said. “Here, the doubles point is so important. I’m just still working on being aggressive, moving forward a lot more.” Becoming more team-oriented has been one of Guerin’s favorite college adjustments — both with her doubles partners and more generally with her teammates. “It’s a huge change from junior tennis, where there’s just a lot more individual tournaments. It’s fun having a team, being able to cheer on your teammates, and we’re all really close.” The team has set its goals for the year — earn a top-40 national ranking and break the Deacons’ four-year NCAA tournament drought. Guerin is eager to be a part of a winning program. “Everything is falling into place,” Guerin said. “We have tons of depth – so many girls are so even that we could all play any spot. I’m hoping it’ll all turn out.”