The University of Mississippi Athletics
Aiming To Be Champions Again
11/16/2007 | Women's Tennis
By Kim Ling
Associate Director Athletics Media Relations
There is a notable proverb, "The Journey is the Reward." This year's Ole Miss women's tennis team features three seniors and all took a different journey to get to Oxford.
For Mimi Renaudin, the choice was fairly easy and the journey less encompassing. Upon deciding to continue her tennis career and education at Ole Miss, she hopped in a car and drove a little more than five hours from her hometown of
Mandeville, La., to get here.
"I liked the atmosphere of the school and the small campus," Renaudin said, of why she chose Ole Miss. "I wanted to stay in the SEC. At the time it felt right when I came on my recruiting trip."
For Preethi Subramanian, the journey began in Coimbatore, India with an eight hour train ride. A few plane rides and many hours later, she landed in Oxford just in time for the spring of 2005, knowing very little about college tennis, much less college life before embarking on her journey. It was however, one celebrity in her home country that prompted her to look hard at Ole Miss.
"I looked up colleges online and started emailing coaches," she said. "Ole Miss offered me a scholarship, so I decided I would come here. They told me Mahesh Bhupathi (11-time grand slam champion from India) also played here. I didn't know him, but he's a big celebrity in India. That was a big factor in helping me decide to come here."
Also arriving in the spring of 2005, Nika Koukhartchouk, came to Oxford from Kaliningrad, Russia. A company in Moscow helps place athletes from her country with schools in the United States.
"I sent them a resume, and then they contacted 50 schools," Koukhartchouk said. "I got offers from 22 other universities. I picked Ole Miss. I didn't know anything about Ole Miss, but it sounded good. It's been fun so far. It's a life-changing experience. Everything is different, so you have to adjust. It was a big challenge and still is, but you learn so much. I like it."
Renaudin had actually been on campus one year, but redshirted, so all three jumped in to the toughest conference in the nation feet first and proceeded to help the Lady Rebels capture their first ever SEC West title and advance to the NCAA Championships for the 11th time in the history of the program.
"Winning the West during my freshman year was definitely a highlight," Subramanian said. "It was nice to do that my first semester here. We are fortunate to be here in the SEC and to have great competition. It's amazing."
Renaudin added, "You have to be ready every weekend, because there are no easy matches in the SEC. You have to be 100 percent ready mentally and physically every time you play. It's definitely one of the best conferences in the country."
All three began their careers at the same time as champions. They would like to go out as champions.
"My biggest goal is not only to stay healthy, but to win the West," said Renaudin, who is a double major in Exercise Science and Psychology. "We have the talent to do that this year. If we win the West, we can set ourselves up to get a good draw in the NCAA (Championships)."
Both Subramanian and Koukhartchouk concur, saying they want to get the team back in the rankings in addition to winning the SEC West and making it to the final 16 at NCAAs.
And while they are busy helping the team try to become king of the West again, these three will be wrapping up their academic careers and getting ready for new chapters in their lives.
Countless hours are spent everyday preparing for tournaments and matches, but just as many hours are spent studying and doing class work. Since their arrival, the three seniors have helped the Lady Rebels win the prestigious ITA All-Academic Team Award every year, adding to the streak of 11 consecutive years for Ole Miss to receive this distinction. The award is open to teams with a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
Renaudin says she is on track to finish up her double major in December of 2008 and then hopes to attend Physical Therapy school. Koukhartchouk already has one degree in managerial finance, and will complete her masters in May of 2008. She plans to stay in the United States for at least a few years. Subramanian will graduate this May with a degree in accounting.
"I want to attend graduate school here and get my master's in accounting," Subramanian said. "My next step is to take the GMAT."
The future is now for these three seniors. The journey that began from different parts of the world and led them to Oxford and Ole Miss four years ago ends in 2008. For them, they hope their reward is another championship trophy.
