Women’s tennis freshman featured in international publication

Brooke Urzendowski’s family has long been one of the 3.5 million subscribers to Sports Illustrated.

Urzendowski, a freshman on the womens tennis team, never read the magazine for Peter King’s analysis of the NFC East or Tom Verducci’s take on David Ortiz’s legacy.  She said she leaves that to her dad and younger brother.

Well, there was one exception.

In the Aug. 1 issue of the magazine, the Omaha-native was featured on the publication’s “Faces in the Crowd” page for her accolade-laden and gutsy prep career at Marian High School. She was sure to pick up that edition.

“It was super exciting,” she said of the publicity.

“Faces” has been a staple for SI since 1956 and highlights the accomplishments of obscure or amateur athletes. With this quick dash of international fame came a pouring out of congratulations from friends, family and even strangers. The 5-foot-7-inches Urzendowski is ready move on and continue competing on the hardcourts of SLU.

Nebraska high school tennis coaches and players may have breathed a collective sigh of relief after Urzendowski officially moved onto the Frost Campus. She reined supreme over her foes, capturing four straight No. 1 singles state titles at the Class A level.

Not even a broken right wrist could stop the right-handed Urzendowski from claiming the final championship and capping off a perfect 29-0 record in 2011. Accompanying those state titles on her resume are her four-straight Metro Conference championships, being voted three-time Nebraska Girls Player of the Year and being named three-time captain of The Omaha World-Herald All-State First Team.

Those achievements and her overall career record of 115-2 factored into her selection as the 2011 Girls’ Senior Tennis Athlete of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association. Urzendowski and SLU women’s tennis head coach Jonathan Zych said they hope to roll with the momentum she brings to a program on the heels of its most successful season in school history.

“Brooke’s one of the best tennis recruits we’ve ever had,” Zych said. “[There is] really good synergy between her and the program coming together, and we look forward to a strong four years.”

When the SI issue went to press last month, the Urzendowski family was on a trip in Florida. It wasn’t until she spotted the cover of the magazine sitting on a newsstand shelf in the airport that she grasped the magnitude of the “Faces” blurb.

“I realized then that this isn’t something that people will only be reading in Nebraska,” she said.

With an estimated readership of more than 23 million people, it’s safe to say the name “Brooke Urzendowski” was on a lot of people’s minds.

That’s a concept she is not afraid to say is a little weird.

An onslaught of Facebook requests from strangers ensued, along with congratulatory text messages from numbers unknown to her. Fittingly, the individual who nominated her to be included in the publication remains a mystery. Neither of her parents claimed to have taken the initiative, along with her coach.

All of the good will, even of the unsolicited variety, was appreciated. The publicity allowed her to re-connect with friends and parents who may have otherwise been relegated to memory.  Now, the freshman is ready to move on and commence her fall semester, on and off the courts.

“I’m not quite sure what to expect with college tennis, but I will learn as I go,” Urzendowski said.