Being the Athlete Podcast

Baylor's Devin Badenhorst joins the show to discuss his progression as a player in his time in college tennis as well as his growth as a person in the program. We also talk about the upcoming match against TCU and the impact the senior class has had on his growth as a player and person. Badenhorst is currently ranked No. 7 in the country in the most recent ITA rankings with a 15-8 record and 11 wins over ranked opponents, five of which were against top 25 players.

Benjamin Kittay (ATP doubles #107) joins the show to discuss his rise through the doubles ranks and his journey through tennis.  We talk his run to the finals at Delray Beach, how he trains, how college tennis helped to prepare him for the next step to the pros, and how he's risen from #1700 in the world to #107 in just nine months. We also discuss the shot heard round the tennis world at the Miami Open. He also gives a small shoutout to Alex Gruskin's tennis skills, and creates a new segment that we have dubbed "Ask the host."  

Maryland's Oliwia Orlinska joins the show to discuss her experience playing college tennis in College Park. We discuss how she chose the University of Maryland as well as what she's learned in her two years in the program.  Orlinska is currently 17-7 playing #1 for the Terrapins this year. She is ranked No. 87 in the most recent ITA rankings. She also helped the team to the #40 ranking in the country with a 12-4 record and recent win over #27 Wisconsin. 

Vanderbilt's Célia Belle Mohr and Bridget Stammel join the show to talk about their careers in Nashville playing for the Commmodores. We discuss how they've seen the sport change in their time playing college tennis and how what they've learned through all of their experiences.  Mohr is currently ranked No. 24 in the country in singles playing #1 for the team with a 13-2 record and No. 5 in the country in doubles with a 22-6 record with partner Sophia Webster playing #1 doubles. The pair were runners up at the NCAA Individual Championships in the fall. Stammel is currently ranked No. 14 in the country in singles with a record of 24-7 playing #1-3 for the team and No. 19 in doubles with a record of 22-7 with partner Valeria Ray playing #2 doubles.  They have both helped the team to the No. 11 ranking in the country and a record of 18-5. 

Appalachian State's Savannah Dada-Mascoll joins the show to discuss her four year career in Boone for the Mountaineers. We discuss her preparation for the game of tennis and how her faith has helped her along her tennis journey.  Dada-Mascoll is ranked #9 in the country in the most recent ITA rankings with a 27-3 record on the year and is 14-1 in the regular season.

Illinois' McKenna Schaefbauer joins the show to discuss her journey back to the state of Illinois. We discuss the life lessons she's learned through the game of tennis and her goals for the future.  Schaefbauer is ranked #29 in the country in the most recent ITA rankings, and has a 19-7 record on the year. 

Kentucky's Julia Zhu joins the show to discuss her experiences playing tennis in Lexington. We talk about the transition from juniors to collegiate tennis, her experiences playing in the SEC and transitioning back and forth between different surfaces.  Zhu is 17-11 on the year for the Wildcats playing No. 1 and No. 2 for the team. 

Chattanooga's Addison Iacono joins the show to discuss her freshman year for the Mocs. We discuss what she's learned from the experience of playing #1 in her first year in college and why she chose Chattanooga. Iacono is 21-4 on the year, 9-1 in the regular season for the Mocs. The team is currently 13-2 (2-0 SoCon) on the year.

Arizona State's Emilija Tverijonaite joins the show to discuss her tennis journey in Tempe, as well as the transition to college tennis from Lithuania. We also discuss how the culture has changed for the Sun Devils over the past three seasons.  Tverijonaite is currently ranked No. 22 in the country in the most recent ITA rankings. She is 24-6 on the full season and is 12-2 playing #1 for the team. The Sun Devils are currently 13-4 and are the No. 13th ranked team in the nation. 

DJ Bennett and Merna Refaat join the show to discuss their historic season for Auburn tennis, helping them to a 24-2 record and the highest ITA ranking in school history of #3 in the country (3/10). They are currently projected to be the #2 team in the country when the new rankings come out on Tuesday (3/24).  Bennett is an NCAA Individual Finalist from the 2024-2025 season and currently holds the #43 ranking in the country, playing #1 for the team.  Refaat is 12-2 on the year playing mainly 3-5 for the Tigers and is ranked #122 in the country with a UTR of 11.35.   

SMU's Sophie Llewellyn joins the show to discuss her time at SMU, growing up in Florida and her goals for her continued tennis journey.  She is currently ranked No. 61 in the most recent ITA rankings, and has helped SMU to a ranking of #32 in the country. 

Tennessee's Catherine Aulia joins the show to discuss her four years in Knoxville playing collegiate tennis. We also talk about her growth as a leader and what she does to overcome obstacles on the mental side of the game of tennis and much more.  Aulia is currently ranked #91 in the country in the most recent ITA singles rankings and is ranked #24 in the country in doubles with partner Leyla Britez Risso, helping the team to the #18 ranking in the country with an 8-4 record. 

LSU's Ella McDonald joins the show to discuss her experience playing college tennis in Baton Rouge as well as playing Wimbledon as an athlete from the UK and her journey playing pro tournaments this past fall.   McDonald is currently ranked #88 in the most recent ITA rankings in singles and #11 in doubles with teammate Kayla Cross.  She is also ranked #473 in the world WTA in singles and #171 in the world WTA in doubles.

Furman's Elle Warren and Lillie Murphy join the show to talk about their experiences in Greenville as freshmen, qualifying for NCAA's and their goals for the team as the season progresses.  They've helped one of the youngest teams in Division I tennis to an 8-4 record, and are 12-3 playing doubles together on the year. They also qualified for NCAA's, playing Duke's Liv Hovde and Shavit Kimchi in the first round.   

Day 1 of the Women's Tennis Showcase! Clemson's Artemis Aslanisvili joins the show to discuss her time at Clemson, growing up in Greece and her experiences playing college tennis.  Aslanisvili is currently 12-0 on the season for the Tigers, playing mostly #5 and #6 for the team, helping them to the #18 rank in the country in the most recent ITA rankings (3/16) with a 14-4 record. 

Indiana University's Sam Landau joins the show to discuss his journey back to Indiana after a brief detour, how he found his joy for the game of tennis again and what his whole tennis journey has been like.  Landau is currently ranked #33 in the country in doubles with partner Jip Van Assendelft and is 9-4 on the season with a 13.59 UTR. 

University of Florida's Henry Jefferson joins the show to discuss his tennis journey in the states, helping the Gators qualify for Indoor Nationals as well as his experience growing up in the U.K. and his decision to play collegiate tennis.  Jefferson is currently ranked No. 29 in the country in singles and No. 10 in the country in doubles. 

Wake Forest's Mees Rottgering discusses a 4-2 win over Baylor, where he had a 6-2, 6-2 win over Zsombor Velcz.  Rottgering is formerly No. 1 in the world in the ITF junior rankings, and has helped Wake Forest to the No. 4 ranking in the country in the most recent ITA rankings. 

LSU's Enzo Kohlmann de Freitas joins the show to discuss his tennis journey, the growth of tennis in Brazil and his decision to come to Baton Rouge and play college tennis.  Kohlmann currently has played #2-#4 singles for the Tigers in the 2026 season, helping them to a 12-2 record, and the No. 7 ranking in the most recent ITA team rankings. 

Vanderbilt's Sophia Webster joins the show to discuss her time playing for the Commodores, creating her own path as a tennis player, and her growth as an athlete.  Webster is currently ranked No. 3 in the country in doubles with partner Celia Belle Mohr, with whom she finished runner up at the NCAA Championships this past fall.  She is also the first ever freshman All-American in program history.