USI Head Tennis Coach Chris Crawford recruits players from every direction, with distance having no significance in his recruiting plan. Crawford’s team is diverse, with eight players from seven different countries, but he needed some help in landing the lone Indiana native on his USI tennis roster.
That’s when Crawford asked then-junior Joe Boesing to call his younger brother, who was a freshman at Indiana University, to gauge his interest in playing collegiate tennis.
“It took two or three calls,” Crawford said.
Three and a half years later, Joe’s brother Ben is now cementing his own legacy, following the footsteps of his older brother.
“He’s been winning ever since he got here,” Crawford said. “He’s been successful every year. He’s going to break pretty much every record USI has in tennis.”
Joe and Ben played together at USI for two seasons before Joe graduated with All-GLVC honors in 2011 after Ben’s sophomore season.
“I always played with (Joe) growing up – played on the same high school team, that’s why I chose to come to USI,” Boesing said. “I think it’s the best decision I have ever made.”
Since his arrival on campus, Boesing has led the No. 40 Eagles (12-4, 4-0 GLVC) to consistent success under Crawford’s direction, with match wins piling up for both he and the team.
“We have a great group of seniors and these guys are pretty close so everybody has the same idea of wanting to win,” Crawford said. “We stick together as a team and play for one another.”
Boesing currently has a 15-match winning streak for the Eagles in singles play, leading to consecutive GLVC Player of the Week awards to begin the month. However, Boesing attributes some of his personal accolades and awards to his doubles partner, freshman Jack Joyce.
“Jack and I playing together works well,” Boesing said. “He plays aggressively and that puts me in a good position. I think it’s mostly about being competitive and never complacent.”
Joyce, a native of Bournemouth, England, credits the contrasting style of he and Boesing as a key for being successful in doubles matches.
“We are doing really well because we work together,” Joyce said. “He’s a big player and he attacks the ball pretty well so he usually sets me up at the net quite nicely.”
Boesing and his teammates are currently riding a five-match winning streak, with USI beating St. Joseph’s 9-0 in their most recent match over the weekend. The Eagles return to the court Saturday, when they travel to Indianapolis before beginning GLVC tournament play next week.
While postseason play can provide unique challenges to a veteran team, Crawford hopes his team can utilize their talent as they play for both conference and national championships.
“This team is so talented,” Crawford said. “I hope we can get what we can get out of our talent.”
