Like many of his peers, Green Farms Academy senior Albert Bostoen played a variety of sports growing up.
“I just liked playing sports in general. It didn't matter what it was,” he said.
One sport, however, came a little more naturally to him than the others and Bostoen used that talent, along with hard work, to take his racquet-swinging talents to Grinnell College in Iowa.
“I was looking for a school that competed highly in D-III while also having great academics, so Grinnell stuck out to me,” Bostoen said. “When I visited the campus it was super welcoming and the facilities were amazing. I felt that this was a school where I could take my tennis and academics to the next level.”
The GFA program has always played at a high level — something Bostoen feels will help him find his groove at Grinnell.
“We are ranked No. 5 in the nation this season,” he said. “The fact that we compete at that level prepares me well for college, since I play some of the top competition in the nation. We also have so many great players on our team so I'm able to have a great practice every day.”
Through visiting Grinnell and getting to know the coaching staff, he also realized he was joining a program where the coaches have a keen interest in the players and the team.
“The coach is super invested in the program and improving it,” Bostoen said. “The first thing I noticed was that he was trying hard to take them to the next level which made me interested. They had a history of making the NCAA tournament for the last 15 years, so I knew this was a place where I could consistently play at a very high level. They had a new coach who wanted to take them to an even higher level which excited me a lot.”
At GFA, Bostoen has excelled as a doubles player, but Dragons Head Coach Paul Groves knows his game runs deeper.
“Albert’s a talented and energetic guy and has such a great sense of humor,” Groves said. “Mostly throughout his career he’s been our No. 1 doubles player, but it’s such a different game and he’s got the great hands, great volleys, and great instincts you need to play doubles. He gravitated to that, but he can certainly play singles, too.”
Bostoen’s goal as he heads off to Grinnell is to find his way into the singles lineup and perhaps someday play in an NCAA tournament.
“It's really tough to make it and it would be awesome if I could qualify,” Bostoen said. “I think that my team goal is that we make quarters or deeper in the tournament.”
As he looks back over his GFA career, and his athletic career as a whole, Bostoen is glad he found tennis and allowed it to take him to where he is today.
He said, “I like how it's so mentally challenging because it makes winning that much better. Every point is different and playing at a high level is just really enjoyable. It's also a sport that allows you to be super creative and it's fun to do what you want since you're usually the only one out there.”