As we head into this weekend's North Coast Athletic Conference Championship Tournament, Sarah Orbuch was able to catch up with women's tennis junior Brenna Sheldon.
 
Following a successful spring break trip, the women's tennis team secured their first-ever national ranking of No. 30 in the country. Three members of the team were also ranked individual. Doubles partners, senior Farah Leclercq and sophomore Grace Porter are ranked at No. 4 in the region, and in singles Leclerq is No. 9. Another impressive individual ranking was for junior Brenna Sheldon, who is ranked at No. 19 in singles play. Sheldon had an impressive sophomore season, winning 15 of 20 matches in singles and 13/20 in doubles play with partner Preeya Shah. This season, Shah and Sheldon went 15-4 in doubles, and individually Sheldon has won 12 matches. A most recent match against the College of Wooster, Sheldon did not miss a beat, beating her opponent 6-0, 6-0, clenching her seventh win in a row, but her last match she suffered a wrist injury; however, she still forced Alex Marcell to three sets, before falling short in a third-set tiebreak.
           
As she heals her wrist in preparation for the NCAC Tournament, she reminisces about her most memorable match of the season – one that she lost.
 
“This season, Preeya and I have had some really good doubles wins, and I have had some good singles wins, but I don't remember these wins as vividly as I remember our match against Case Western (Feb. 22). I was playing number No. 1 singles for the first time, and my match lasted four hours. I had match point, but I lost in a tiebreak in the third set. That match, I left everything I had on the court. My whole body hurt – but in a really tired awesome way.”
 
This past season, Sheldon has made tennis a major focus. As a freshman and sophomore she was in co-ops and spent a lot of time planning meals, cleaning and budgeting. While Sheldon is no longer a part of co-ops, she still maintains a busy schedule. Sheldon works with the college dining service (CDS), as a recycler. “We get to talk to Michelle Gross, the head of CDS, and tell her our thoughts about the dining hall food. We have been able to get ingredient labels posted on some things, and try out best to ensure that students really know what they are eating.”
 
This job is especially enjoyable for Sheldon, an environmental studies and German double major with an interest in food. “I have been really into food issues for a lot of my life. I have always been interested in sustainable agriculture, the environment and outdoor work. Environmental and food studies is something I became really interested in, through working in the food industry, at a winery and farm, and working with my dad who is an architect.”
 
Sheldon has spent her past two winter terms focusing on these interests. As a sophomore, she worked on a video with her brother, who is a doctor. She interviewed people living below the poverty line that suffered from diabetes and obesity and helped find cheap ways for them to improve their health. This past winter Sheldon focused less on food and more on architecture and agriculture and built a chicken-coup at home. “It was like building a small house basically. We had all this old wood and I milled timber and learned how to use different tools. It was really cool!”
 
Outside of her science major, Sheldon has to focus on her German major as well. The summer after sophomore year, Sheldon got a grant from the German department to go to Berlin and study for the summer. “I love languages, although it is not really my career path. I went to Berlin after a gap year in Paraguay with my parents and I was determined to go back. When I found out that I got the grant, I knew I had to go back. I knew I would not want to study abroad because of tennis, so I wanted to take the opportunity to travel and improve my language skills over the summer.”
 
While Sheldon has a pretty busy life, she finds time and energy to stay focused on tennis. “I love the team, I love the coach, I love the sport. It is just fun. I am a competitive person and I love any kind of activity. The team is like a family. There are just eight of us and we are all really close.”
 
The tennis team split its final two regular season matches against Kenyon and Allegheny without Sheldon in the lineup, but she is hoping she can play during the conference tournament. “My wrist has been getting better each day, and I am hopeful I will be a able to contribute this weekend.”