Although championships are won on the court, those who work tirelessly behind the scenes make them possible.
As the members of the men’s tennis team prepare for their final home match of the season and senior day hosting South Carolina Friday at 2 p.m., one senior preps for the match in a different way than the rest.
Senior Andrew Kirkland has managed the Mississippi State men’s tennis team the past two seasons, and in that time, his hard-working nature has certainly been on display. Kirkland has taken the role as a “do-it-all” team manager as he deals with all parts of the team.
Whether working late into the night on the upkeep of the facilities, running the social media or driving players around, Kirkland finds ways to stay busy.
Men’s tennis sports information director Hunter Richardson had nothing but praise while describing Kirkland’s time as a Bulldog manager.
“He really just does so much stuff for me. It’s not just me, but it is everyone on this team,” Richardson said. “I could sit here all day and tell you a thousand reasons how he makes my job easier. When it comes down to it, he is as essential to this team as the guys that are out there on that court and the coaches.”
Kirkland, a Locust Fork, Ala., native, got his start in working with athletics as a trainer in high school. Shortly after coming to MSU, he started work as a student trainer and was assigned to men’s and women’s tennis.
He continued that work for two years before accepting coach Per Nilsson’s offer to become the men’s tennis manager. Since then, Kirkland has definitely set the bar for all future tennis managers; however, he is very humble about his time with the team.
“A lot of people say I go over and above, but I don’t really feel like that,” Kirkland said. “I feel that I do everything that I am supposed to do and everything that I need to do for the sport to be its best. It is much more than just simply win or lose. It is also about how it looks and how the courts look. I believe that what I do helps the players perform their best during a match.”
Junior tennis player Malte Stropp said he is especially appreciative of all Kirkland has done for him and his teammates.
“I have known Andrew for two years now, and he is just an awesome guy,” Stropp said. “He does everything for all of us. He is collecting up balls, picking up our rackets and giving us water. He is just the guy for everything and has so much fun.”
The last two years have been a learning experience for Kirkland. He went from not even considering tennis and applying to be a trainer to being the only tennis team manager for two years. Kirkland said he has learned a lot of crucial life lessons in the last few years in being with the team.
“I have definitely learned to take life one step at a time and that you really can’t plan too far ahead,” Kirkland said. “I never really saw myself working with tennis. Even after my first year with the team, I had planned to just work this for a year and just get out of it. But at the end of that year, I realized that this is what I want to do. I didn’t plan this at all; I never saw myself here. Seeing all these different people and different cultures has really given me a completely new view of the world, especially seeing them all come from other countries and become a family. That is what we are here.”
Kirkland plans to stay at MSU one more year and continue his job managing and encouraging the tennis team.