By Calvin Filson '18
Rising-senior Michael Drougas is a soft-spoken individual. He does not possess the swagger of a star international soccer player, nor does he have the commanding presence of a professional football player. However, what he does have that is unique to him is the under-the-radar, everyday consistency on the tennis court that has helped him garner All-NCAC honors in each of his three seasons on campus.
He burst onto the collegiate tennis scene in 2014-15, earning NCAC Newcomer of the Year honors to make it three straight Yeomen who took home the honor. He joined former teammates Ian Paik, who earned those laurels a season before in 2014, and class of 2016 graduate Callan Louis who won the award in 2013.
A native of Roanoke, Virginia, Drougas has known what it is like to be a winner since his high school days at Salem High School. A Virginia team state championship his freshman season in 2011 and an individual singles state championship his junior year in 2013 provided a good indicator that Drougas would flourish on the court in college.
Perhaps most shocking about Drougas was his almost impromptu decision to play college tennis. “I wasn’t planning on doing athletics in college,” he said. That was until he attended a tennis camp in Cleveland when met head coach Eric Ishida. After conversing with Coach Ishida, Drougas began looking into Oberlin and liked what he saw in terms of academics and athletics.
“It was kind of luck that I ended up at Oberlin and playing tennis” noted Drougas.
Reciprocally, the Yeomen tennis team is lucky to have him too. Despite his surprising path to collegiate tennis, Drougas’ college career seemed like a long time coming.
Before all the championships and accolades, as a young 8 year-old he picked up a racket for the first time. His father, who also played collegiate tennis, provided a large influence on Drougas, helping shape what would be an already fantastic career on the court posting identical 48-23 records in both singles and doubles.
With him as a key piece, the Yeomen tennis team has completely transformed over the past three seasons, improving upon their conference performance in each season, which featured a historic third-place finish with a win over Denison.
“The two years prior, we were talented enough to do better, but we were lacking experience. This year, we had some good freshmen that really boosted us and I think the combination of talented freshmen and experience of the upper class pushed us over the top this year.”
As a seasoned veteran at this point, the politics major has his eyes set on the 2017-18 season already and knows what he needs to do win.
“I’m pretty small so success in tennis for me requires determination. For me, success has come from wanting to be out there and wanting to win and continually being focused, which is a challenge, but when I do that, success follows.”
He also knows having strong teammates that are there to support him play a large role in his success.”
“Good teammates have pushed me and helped me improve. I think gaining confidence in a somewhat individual sport like tennis deals with winning matches and letting yourself know you are good enough to beat opponents on the court.”
His individual success banks on his cohesiveness with his teammates and of course, coach Ishida’s extensive knowledge of the game.
“I think Coach Ishida has really helped me improve because he is very calm which is helpful for me when I’m playing an intense match. He has helped me overcome feelings of self-doubt by believing in my abilities. In general, he provides good support for the mental aspect of the game and obviously the technical aspects too.”
This connection between player and coach as well as between player and player is a prominent aspect of tennis. Drougas enjoys doubles play, but admits the challenge of playing with another person.
“Doubles is super challenging especially for me because I’m not always great at communicating and it’s something I continue to try to get better at because I know it’s a weakness of mine.”
While some college athletes recall a particular game or singular moment as the most prominent in their career, Drougas’ favorite part of college tennis so far has been something a little more “down under.”
“My favorite tennis moment was when the tennis team went to Australia for winter term during my freshman season. It was an amazing opportunity and fun experience to explore a place like Australia with my teammates. Furthermore, as a freshman it was a great way to get closer with my teammates leading into the spring season. It was an amazing trip, which I won't forget!”
Certainly, Drougas would love to add a moment in his collegiate career that rivals this one. Perhaps the experience of winning an NCAC Championship in the spring of 2018 would suffice.
