Even as his career as a tennis player flourished, Sam Sweeney '11 knew something was missing prior to his enrollment at North Central College in 2008. He found what he was looking for and then some in three years with the Cardinals' men's tennis team, achieving unprecedented success and reinvigorating an entire program.
After playing a year at the NCAA Division I level at the University of Illinois-Chicago, Sweeney backed away from the sport to assess his options. He chose to resurrect his career at North Central, thanks in part to the counsel of North Central student-athletes Ben Youel '09 and Gabe Youel '10, childhood friends from his hometown of Crystal Lake, Illinois.
"I took a year off, and that was a little invigorating and made me really want to play again," Sweeney said. "I wanted to go to a school that had a great reputation. North Central has always had a great reputation in McHenry County, so I decided to go there."
Joining a team which had placed last in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) the previous five years, Sweeney relished the opportunity to raise the competitive level of the program and contribute to the dynamic a united team.
"Being a part of a team is a big reason why I wanted to come back and play college tennis," he said. "It was a great bunch of guys and a great opportunity to help turn things around. I didn't realize it was going to be that much fun, but it was."
Sweeney claimed CCIW individual championships at No. 1 singles and CCIW Player of the Year honors each of his three years at North Central. He made two trips to the NCAA Division III National Championships and twice made the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-America Team, both firsts in the history of the Cardinals' program. He compiled a record of 64-8 in singles play.
He also contributed to the team's success at No. 1 doubles with teammate Matt Boguslawski '12. The pair went 50-13 and won a trio of CCIW doubles championships.
"I think (Boguslawski) is the guy to credit for that," Sweeney said. "I was fortunate to have the opportunity to play with him. We were both very comfortable with who we were as tennis players and who we were as people, and we turned out to be a really good team."
Sweeney lists a 5-4 upset victory over eventual CCIW champion Carthage College and an ITA Central Region singles championship as the biggest highlights of his tennis career, as well as an opportunity to put the College on the map for some of the nation's top collegiate players.
"Eventually, I was ranked 1,045th in the world in doubles," Sweeney recalled. "I remember playing with a guy who played at the University of Illinois, and we beat the No. 1 singles players from Duke University and Clemson University. After the match, they asked where I played, and I said 'North Central College.' Then I got to explain to them where it was. That was pretty memorable for me. It proved I could play with the best guys in Division I."
Sweeney's search for a team and collegiate home with which to identify himself pays dividends to this day.
"You don't realize at the time how much you're going to miss competing and representing the school," he said. "I'm so much more loyal and school-spirited toward North Central than I ever would have imagined. That's probably the coolest thing."
