 |
|
| Steve Pfost |
Senior tennis player and 3D
animation major Brianne
Francisco’s career began back in
middle school. Her softball coach
was looking for athletes who he
could train young and eventually
bring to a varsity level. For the
first lesson Francisco received,
her “coach just basically said,
‘Hit the ball over the net.’”
Francisco did more than just
get it over the net; she went on
to excel in tennis and decided
to continue her career in
college. Her decision to do
this was simple. For her,
tennis “always stayed
fun, stayed light.”
Head Coach Krystina
Bachner of RIT helped keep
Francisco’s excitement for
the sport going. “[Coach
Bachner] has been a great impact
because she’s a great motivator
and she always keeps everything
fun.” Beyond this, Bachner,
a former Division I player,
“brings a whole other level of
tennis. It was really motivating
[Francisco] to step up [her] game.”
Besides motivation from
her coach, Francisco’s team
has helped contribute to her
success. “They’re the best
team I have ever
been on through
all my years,”
described
Francisco.
This year
the team
took second in
the conference,
the best finish
in Francisco’s four-year long
career. Francisco’s most exciting
match, hands down, was against
St. Lawrence. “It could have
been my last match,” but with
Amanda Berg the team rallied
to come back and take the win.
In Francisco’s own words,
“Tennis is an extremely mental
game,” something that RIT’s
team worked heavily with this
year as part of their preparation
for matches. “You can play
opponents that have better
strokes than you and still beat
them because you are mentally
tougher,” described Francisco.
In tennis, Francisco’s future
is uncertain; she would like to
continue playing, but at a less
competitive level. At RIT, tennis
has served as a break from a busy
school life: “It’s such a relief to
get away from school and go out
on the court and have that family
and just compete,” says Francisco.
Aside from tennis, Francisco
enjoys intramural soccer and
rock climbing at the Red Barn
on campus. As for her future in
3D animation, she hopes to one
day work for a larger company
like Pixar or Dreamworks.
The tennis world can be hard,
and in games sometimes
“it’s about who makes the last
mistake.” Even though the
odds may not have always
been in her favor, Francisco
has always played each point
as hard as she could.
2008 STATS
Brianne Francisco
Overall 6-9, Conference 8-0
Amanda Berg/Brianne Francisco
Overall 13-4, Conference 8-0
