Tampa to Stillwater

World class athletics have been in Ty Wunderlich's family for generations and now he is bringing his skills to Cowboy Tennis.

Olympic Genetics
Wunderlich always knew that he would be an athlete. Why? It's simple, look at his parents and their athletic prowess.

His father, Eric Wunderlich, was an American competitive swimmer who specialized in breaststroke. His peak came in Atlanta at the 1996 Olympics, where he competed for Team USA.

Having a world-class athlete as a father was largely beneficial for Wunderlich.

"It definitely gave me a lot of opportunities, like meeting people and getting amazing coaching since I was very little," Wunderlich said. "I was able to go to amazing places to see different things and go to sporting events which gave me great experiences."

But Wunderlich didn't go the swimming route, but instead followed in his mother's footsteps. Ann Grossman-Wunderlich was an American tennis player who had her fair share of grand slam competitions, even being ranked in the top 30 in the world and was a key role model and inspiration to her son.

"My mom played professionally for many years, and she played something like 44 straight grand slams," Wunderlich said. "I just kind of always grew up around the court. She was always teaching lessons, so I was out there since I was like, four."

When Wunderlich turned 13, he was able to get a tennis scholarship in the Tampa area, at a tennis academy. From that point on, he knew he could go play the sport at a high level, just like his mother before him.

On his journey to Oklahoma State, besides his mother, he also looked up to Tiger Woods, the professional golfer. Wunderlich loved the Tiger mentality and tries to take that into his own tennis matches.

Tampa to Stillwater
If there were two guys responsible for Wunderlich's journey to Oklahoma State, it would be fifth-year senior Tyler Zink and Cowhoy head coach Dustin Taylor.

"Chris Mae is one of the fitness coaches that DT (Dustin Taylor) loves and sends all of his guys to so I went there to work out and I met Tyler Zink," Wunderlich said. "And he was telling me all about this place and about DT. Then my mom, who coaches on the tour, already knows DT and how great of a coach he is. So that's how I pretty much found out about Oklahoma State and why I chose here."

After a couple more recreational workouts with Zink and meeting with the coaches, Wunderlich knew Cowboy Tennis would be his home for the foreseeable future.

It's been a bit of a culture shift for Wunderlich, but a positive one.

"It's just so much more chill. Everyone's so nice. You can talk to anyone here and you'll never run into a mean person. Florida, you'll run into a couple of stuck-up people, but in Stillwater, everyone's so nice."

Coming from the academy experience, Wunderlich doesn't have any issues adjusting to the college lifestyle and the new team.

"I feel like it's been pretty easy," Wunderlich said. "I grew up in dorms where it was like three to six people in a room. So we learned to get along fast and I was able to get pretty good at getting along with people fast. So it's been super easy and super nice especially because, overall, the freshmen are super good people."

With all those new freshmen, someone on the team had to be a leader, and just like the rest of the freshmen, they all had one clear answer.

"I would definitely say Tyler Zink. I mean, we hang out like all the time. He's a guy I really look up to the most."

Building For the Future
Coaching is key to building a successful program. Wunderlich has high praises for all the coaches in just his first few months at Oklahoma State.

"I love all the coaches," Wunderlich said. "DT (Dustin Taylor), one of the big reasons I came here, he is so fun. Coach Marty (Redlicki) helping me technically with small things and then Coach Max (Koller) pushing me to do things. I feel like the combination of guys is really good for me and the future."

Over the past three months, Wunderlich had a chance to, not only showcase his talents but also get his first real experience in fall college tennis.

Wunderlich played in five doubles matches, primarily with teammates Leighton Allen and fellow freshman Goran Zgola. In addition to doubles, he played in 10 singles matches over four different tournaments across the country, as well as two tournaments at the Greenwood Tennis Center.

During his time traveling, the team bonded together. It was something that Wunderlich had never really seen, but something he is looking forward to for the upcoming season.

"I was traveling with the team, and it was so fun," Wunderlich said. "We got to go to California, me and Goron bonded a lot out there. Me, Marty, and Goran got to play a couple of matches out there and it was a great experience to go into USC and play some really good players. And then here in Stillwater, just having the atmosphere where your teammates are supporting you during your matches, I never really had anything like that."

When January hits and the real season starts, Wunderlich hopes this team can make it to the final eight and play in the NCAA Championships, right here in Stillwater at Greenwood Tennis Center, and he wants to be a part of that success.

For more on Ty Wunderlich and all things Oklahoma State Tennis, visit okstate.com or follow @CowboyTennis on social media.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Leighton Allen

Ty Wunderlich

Goran Zgola

Tyler Zink

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