Spring Senior Athlete Spotlight: Kyle Ungvarsky

Four years ago, the Colonel men’s tennis team welcomed Kyle Ungvarsky from Horseheads Senior High School. In addition to his success on the court, Ungvarsky has been an active member of the Wilkes campus since he arrived in 2005.

 

Ungvarsky began playing tennis in sixth grade and was the #1 singles in high school. He also competed in the state tournament for four straight years, three with his doubles partner and in his senior season as a singles player.

 

One of his most memorable moments on the court happened his freshman year.

 

“At college my career highlights have been freshman year winning the Elizabethtown Tournament (Flight A, which consisted of the first & second singles player of each team in the tournament). This was special because that same day my brother, sister, and father were all running the Marine Corps Marathon in D.C., and since the finals of the tournament conflicted with watching them run the marathon I knew I had to win the tournament, and I fortunately did,” Ungvarsky said.

 

Head coach Chris Leicht has been impressed with Ungvarsky from day one.

 

“Kyle has been a leader since he arrived on campus.  He leads by example, and always listens to all of the other players,” Leicht said. “Kyle has become the 'face' of Wilkes men's tennis.  I will miss his personality, and enthusiastic attitude!”

 

Aside from the hectic schedule that comes with playing a sport in college, Ungvarsky has also been active on campus. For the past three years he has been a Resident Assistant as well as an e-mentor and orientation leader for incoming first year students. He has also been a tutor for physics, calculus and chemistry, and this year took on the role as a teaching assistant for freshmen chemistry labs.

 

As if athletics and extracurricular activities do not consume enough time, Ungvarsky is a biochemistry major here at Wilkes. “I chose it because I want to become a doctor, and I didn’t want to be a typical biology major,” Ungvarsky said.

 

Upon graduation on May 16, Ungvarsky plans to work for a pharmaceutical company for a year before applying to medical schools.

 

Sacrifices do come from being so active; however, Ungvarsky was used to being busy because he has always been active.

 

“In high school I did a lot of extracurricular activities, so doing the same thing in college wasn’t that big of an adjustment. I guess having good time management and not getting car sick are keys, because a lot of studying is done on vans & buses due to a lot of away matches,” Ungvarsky said.

 

Leicht agrees in time management has been key for Ungvarsky.

 

“Kyle is a very hard-worker, and a dedicated member of the tennis team.  He is excellent at managing his time, which allows him to be involved in so many activities,” Leicht said.

 

 

 

Baseball: Geoff Miller

Softball: Kathy Dalton

Golf: Jamie Montville

Women’s Tennis: Alison McDonald