This article was first featured on northcentralcardinals.com.
North Central College women’s tennis senior Kayla McSweeney faced a tough decision as a secondary education major and student-athlete. To graduate, the College requires a semester of student teaching, which is the sole focus for education majors during those 15 weeks. To meet her graduation requirements, McSweeney will be student teaching in the spring semester at Oswego East High School, missing her final semester of tennis as a collegiate athlete.
“I debated for a while about taking a fifth year, but decided not to go down that route,” said McSweeney. “I will be missing tennis in the spring, but I will be there to support the team on the weekends as much as I can.”
Head coach Nathaniel Boatright fully supports McSweeney’s decision and remembers the conversation well.
“That was an easy conversation to have. It’s all part of her getting a degree and accomplishing the true goal of being a student-athlete, walking across the stage at graduation,” Boatright said.
"My teammates and coaches have been incredibly supportive of my decision to student teach in the spring. Even after I completed my field experience hours, they continue to check in and ask how it is going. While it’s tough not being able to play in the spring, their constant encouragement has made me confident in my choice, and I’ve never felt any regret. I always feel supported both on and off the court, and that sense of camaraderie and understanding is a key part of the team culture we've built." - McSweeney
Teaching comes naturally to McSweeney. Ever since she was a kid, she knew teaching was in her future. “I feel like I was kind of made to be a teacher. I love kids, and my parents are both in the education system. My favorite thing to do as a child was go to the teacher store and play teacher as a kid,” McSweeney said.
For now, McSweeney will focus on the fall season, where the Cardinals are currently riding a 48-match winning streak against College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin competition. McSweeney has never seen the Cardinals lose a match in CCIW play, boasting a 37-0 record since joining the team in 2021. Individually, she is 51-21 in her career between singles and doubles play.
Growing up, McSweeney picked up a racket at the age of four and never looked back. Tennis runs in the McSweeney family, with her dad Sean being a former coach and sister Meghan joining the Cardinals women’s tennis program in 2023.
“Being on the same team as my sister is awesome. She wasn’t going to play tennis in college, but she knew if she played anywhere, it would be at North Central. She ended up coming here and I could not be happier,” said McSweeney. “We grew up playing tennis together and it’s the best thing ever.”
“My family is awesome. They come to everything. It doesn’t matter if it is Pittsburgh for the NCAA Tournament or Florida for spring break, they are always there. Their level of support is amazing. They also cheer on everyone else on the team, so there’s an extra level of support from the crowd knowing they are there.”
- McSweeney
Family is a big reason why McSweeney visited North Central in the first place. Her dad had a connection to a men’s tennis player and encouraged her to visit.
“I fell in love with the area, the team, the coaching staff, and it felt right to come to North Central,” said McSweeney. Since then, North Central has felt like a home away from home. “I feel like North Central attracts a lot of people with similar interests. It’s an athletic school, and many of the students are athletes. I have been fortunate to meet a bunch of great people at North Central who have positively impacted my life.”
The women’s tennis team felt daunting to McSweeney at first, but as the lone senior on this year’s team, she has shown up in a big way as a leader.
"Kayla continues to be one of the most vocal people on the team. She understands how to control the energy of a match and is leading by example on how to do so." - Boatright
McSweeney also sees that growth in herself as a tennis player. “I would say my confidence has skyrocketed from high school to now. Coming in as a freshman on this team, at the time, it seemed like all the women were twenty-five years old. You’re like a little baby and I had to grow in confidence to even think that I was good enough to be on the court with them.”
“The second CCIW Tournament of my career, my sophomore year, was a big turning point for me. I was the one who clinched the match in the CCIW Tournament Championship which gave us the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Ever since then, I have grown and improved my game a lot. It’s weird because during my sophomore and junior years, I was a captain, and I was seen in a leadership role. Now, as a senior, I feel like you have to be the mother figure to the team. As a captain, you have to show up early, be the loudest one and cheer on the team. Taking this role as a senior in a leadership position has helped me and it also helps build the connection with the team as well.”
It has worked as the Cardinals have won over 20 matches in each of the past three seasons including a record-setting 2023-24 slate where the team won a program-best 24 matches. This season, North Central is off to a 2-0 start in CCIW play, just two matches away from notching their 50th straight league win.
The Cardinals take on Augustana College on Sunday in hopes of securing the 49th consecutive conference win. The first serve at Lincoln Park Tennis Courts in Rock Island, Ill., is set for 1 p.m.
