Playing college tennis was her goal since junior high school.
Now, Claire Bouquet, a St. Joseph High School senior, has not only achieved her childhood goal, but will get to fulfill it at a prestigious Division I tennis program close to home.
Bouquet, the 2015 PAC 8 singles champion, on May 19 signed a national letter of intent to attend and play tennis at Cal Poly in the fall.
“I was pretty serious about tennis starting in eighth grade,” Bouquet said. “I started going up to SLO to train with a coach, and started working with him more. I had a busier schedule playing more matches and trying to get better so I could play college tennis.”
Though Cal Poly may seem like a natural choice for a Central Coast native, the school wasn’t initially at the top of Bouquet’s list.
“I wasn’t originally wanting to stay so close to home,” Bouquet told the Sun. “I took a visit in November and I was able to tour the campus and meet the coaches and the girls on the team and get a tour around the AD [athletic department] and stuff like that. I think just the area, the nice weather, and then really loving the two new coaches this year and loving the team—that all played into my decision.”
Bouquet is torn about which of her seasons at St. Joe’s was her all-time favorite. She said it was a tie between her freshman and senior seasons.
“Freshman year, my sister was on the team with me when she was a senior, which was fun,” she said. “Last year, we had a successful season. Our doubles team finished third in league. I was able to win [league]. As a team we got third in league. It was a fun season, playing with a lot of my friends on the team.”
Getting mentally and physically prepared for the jump in competition from high school to college tennis is on the forefront of Bouquet’s mind. She will start training with Cal Poly as soon as summer starts and participate in a number of summer tournaments.
“Once I graduate, the coaches can send me their summer workout schedule so I can start doing their lifting and conditioning routine,” Bouquet said. “I want to start working on that so when I go in September, I’m in shape and ready to go.”
Bouquet gave a shout out to her parents for their support of her tennis career—thanking them not only for the countless miles and hours spent driving to practices and tournaments, but for their emotional support.
“They were just happy that I was having fun with the sport, more so than how well I was doing at it,” she said.
This article appears in Jun 2-9, 2016.