I make sure I get help in any of the classes I'm struggling with.' 'Taking advantage of the tutors MSU offers is important as well. 'Having good time management skills is really important,' Brown said. 'Being a varsity player is a lot more physically demanding.'īrown also needed to make sure she was keeping up with school. 'It was tough at first to keep up with the cardio and training,' Brown said. She defeated Natalie Handler of Xavier University in straight sets 7-5, 6-3.ĭespite what looked like an effortless transition, Brown acknowledged making the jump from the club team to the varsity team wasn't easy.

5, 2012, at the Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invite in East Lansing. It was a lot more of a commitment, but it was something I wanted to do.'īrown accepted a walk-on spot as a junior and won her first match on Oct. The training is more vigorous and the competition is at a higher level. 'The varsity team is a lot more involved. 'The club team was more of a fun and social atmosphere,' Brown said. 'She was one of the girls that could play at a higher level and stepped up when the opportunity came,' Jardim said.ĭespite her heavy workload, Brown couldn't pass up an opportunity to be a Division 1 tennis player. In the summer between Brown's sophomore and junior, year women's varsity head coach Simone Jardim approached her regarding a possible jump to her team. It was clear from the way she overwhelmed her opponents that she was capable of competing at the varsity level. The club team promised to be less involved and less time-consuming than the varsity team, which would allow her to keep up in school while still playing the game she loved.īrown made the team and competed for two years at the club level. She made a deal with a friend that she would try out for MSU's club tennis team when she arrived on campus in the fall of 2010. The summer before Brown's freshman year at Michigan State she admitted to still having a desire to compete on the tennis court. 'I knew I wanted to go to medical school and I knew Michigan State would be a great way to get there,' Brown said. Brown, who was a county MVP and team captain at Cousino High School in Warren, Mich., made the tough decision to put athletics on hold while pursuing a double major in genomics and molecular genetics.

When making her college decision, it was more about what the school had to offer academically and less about the tennis program. By Matt Bontorin, MSU Athletic Communications Student AssistantFor Spartan senior Christina Brown, being a tennis player is important but being a student-athlete is what defines her.

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