With his recent title win, men’s tennis athlete, Ian Pedersen, believes that he is just getting started winning for N.C. A&T.
Pedersen is a junior from the Canary Islands. Since coming to A&T, the player has felt the impact of attending the university and doesn’t regret the decision.
“I chose A&T for the coach, he told me a little about what the program was like and what he wanted to achieve in the future and I liked it so I came,” Pedersen shared. “My experience has been amazing. From the first day I came, people treated me as if I was one of the members of the family.”
After preparing to compete last week, Pedersen saw just what exactly the Greatest Homecoming on Earth (GHOE) was all about.
“Seeing the way everyone supports each other is something that I haven’t seen anywhere, especially last week with GHOE,” Pedersen said. “Seeing that every year so many people who study here come together and they also treat me like family without even knowing me. It’s incredible.”
Pedersen was successful in grabbing the Men’s C2 singles title this past Saturday at the Wake Forest Invitational. This would be the player’s very first title victory in his career. Pedersen played twice in the C2 semis, defeating Richmond’s Davis Wiley with scores of 6-3 and 6-4.
After advancing to the final, Pedersen matched up with James Madison University’s Aathreya Mahesh. Pedersen would lose the first set to Mahesh, 7-6. Pedersen would then rebound, winning the next two sets.
With him never winning a fall tournament draw, Pedersen knows what this victory means to him. The hard work that has been put in to lead to that moment is very valuable.
“Winning at Wake Forest showed me that every day of training counts. You may not see a big change from one day to the next day,” Pedersen said. “If you give your best every practice, in the long term, you will see that you have improved over time.”
With grabbing his first title victory, Pedersen is hungry for more. The tennis athlete wants to win not only for himself but for the team most importantly as well.
“Individually I want to continue fighting to win more tournaments, continue improving my level, and see what I am capable of,” Pedersen expressed. “As for the team, not only do I want to win against other universities, especially those that are in our conference, but I want to fight to win the championship.”
Even though this is his third year, Pedersen believes this is the beginning of the road for him. With his first title victory this past weekend at Wake Forest, Pedersen is prepared for what lies ahead for him and the N.C. A&T’s men’s tennis team this year.
