Oklahoma State University Athletics
Gerch Brothers Compete Together as Cowboys
March 31, 2015 | Cowboy Tennis
By Jarrett Hardwick
Lucas and Leonard Gerch, sons of Lars and Ulrike Gerch, are brothers from Berlin, Germany, who decided to come and play tennis for head coach Jay Udwadia and the Cowboy tennis team.
Lucas Gerch is a 6-4, left-handed sophomore. He has chosen to major in Industrial Engineering. Lucas was recruited and visited other Division I universities. He chose Oklahoma State because of the coaching staff, the team and he wanted to play for OSU.
"I really liked it here during my visit," Lucas said. "The coaching staff and the team, I felt like there was good chemistry and I wanted to be a part of it so I decided to play here."
Lucas started the 2013-2014 season with the nation's longest winning streak at 16 matches. He finished his freshman season with a record of 16-8 in singles matches and 17-11 in doubles matches. Lucas likes the individual aspect of tennis. He likes being able to figure out situations during the match while running and trying not to let a ball get passed him. After he graduates he wants to try professional tennis.
Leonard Gerch is a 6-2, right-handed freshman. Prior to coming to OSU, Leonard received his Bachelors in Industrial Engineering in Germany. He will only be at OSU for one semester, but while he is here he will be studying economics. Leonard chose to come to OSU because he felt it was a good fit for him.
"OSU was a great choice for me. My brother is here and it is awesome to play with him," Leonard said. "The team is amazing and the other guys are really nice. I talked with Jay (Udwadia) a bit and he taught me things about the program and everything fits for me really well."
When Leonard returns back to Germany he plans to continue playing tennis. He has played as much as he can, but he would like to try and play professionally. He also wants to continue his education by entering into a graduate program and earning his Master's degree.
The Gerch brothers enjoy being at OSU, especially together. The brothers like being able to spend time together and compete against each other. When they compete they are intense and try to challenge one another so that they both can get better.
"It's cool. For me there is a bit more competition than playing against another guy because I don't want to lose to my younger brother," Leonard said. "I am totally on fire to play against him, but to play together on a team is cool."
