This article was written by Pete Hartt, and it appeared in
the Times Argus on Sunday, April 13.
NORTHFIELD, Vt. - In the hierarchy of
collegiate sports at Norwich University, varsity tennis is far from
the top of the heap.
It's far below men's ice hockey with its 2008 Division III Frozen
Four appearance. It's well below the men's soccer team with its
ECAC championship last fall. The women's rugby team, meanwhile,
will compete for a national championship over the next few
weeks.
In fact, of the 20 varsity sports offered at Norwich, tennis may be
dead last based on participation and record.
That may change over the next season-and-a-half as Peter Hooper
puts his left-handed imprint on the sport.
The slender, red-haired 6-foot-3 tennis player from Spartanburg,
S.C., is dominating the Great North Athletic Conference and helping
his team as much as possible.
"The tennis team is young," the soft-spoken Hooper said while
waiting for a match to begin. "I'd like to improve it to the best
of my ability, whether that's hitting with recruits or working with
the other players on the team."
Unbeaten in singles in his first five matches, Hooper has already
been the GNAC player of the week three times. Norwich, which
finished 1-4 in the league last season, is 4-2 this season, 1-1 in
the league, and coach Kyle Dezotell is seeing Hooper's impact
beyond the winning matches.
"He's been great for the team so far," Dezotell said. "He's so far
ahead of everyone else on the team, but there is no arrogance. He
has experience at such a high level."
Hooper is 21, the oldest player on the team, and took a round-about
route to Norwich. He actually attended middle school in Essex
Junction before moving with his family to South Carolina. After
finishing high school as one of the top-ranked players in the
state, he spent time at a junior college and then attended
Spartanburg Methodist College, where he was the school's top tennis
player. But an electrical engineering degree beckoned and the call
was to Norwich.
"I was coming here for the engineering, but I talked to coach
Dezotell and I liked what he was doing," Hooper said. "I love
college tennis, I love the camaraderie."
Hooper's involvement in the college life outside the classroom
extends even beyond his tennis. He was the student manager of
Dezotell's men's soccer team and has started a Norwich ultimate
Frisbee team that competed for the first time, indoors, earlier
this spring.
On Saturday Hooper and the Cadets were scheduled to face Emerson
College, one of the top squads in the five-team league. As Hooper
waited for a match that never materialized (Emerson never showed
up), he talked and joked with teammates, hit with potential
incoming team members and offered tips to anyone hitting the ball.
He was part coach, part recruiter and all top tennis player.
"We didn't really know what we were getting until he got here,"
Dezotell said. "He managed the soccer team, so I got to know him
and as soon as I saw him hit I immediately knew we had hit the
jackpot. I've been trying to figure out how to train him."
