The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Friendly foes await Men's Tennis' Damico in NCAA quarterfinals
05.15.2009 | Men's Tennis
Forgive Kellen Damico if he feels like he is at a family reunion rather than a tennis match Saturday when 12th-seeded Texas takes on fourth-seeded Georgia in the quarterfinals of the 2009 NCAA Men's Tennis Championships
When he takes a glance into the stands at Texas A&M's Mitchell Tennis Center, Kellen likely will see his parents along with his grandfather, Ed Gilbert, a former University of Texas All-America swimmer and a member of the UT Men's Athletics Hall of Honor.
Perhaps Kellen will spot his sister, Krista, a freshman for coach Patty Fendick-McCain's Texas women's tennis team. And, when he eyes his opponent across the net from him, he won't see a relative, but the player wearing red and black might as well be a brother.
Texas' match against Georgia pits the Longhorns against the foe that defeated them in the 2008 NCAA Championship match in Tulsa, Oklahoma. But, for Damico, it will mark a friendly, albeit competitive, get-together with a couple of close childhood friends.
Damico grew up with Georgia junior Nate Schnugg in Medford, Oregon, and the exuberant pair struck up a friendship with Jamie Hunt - now Schnugg's teammate at Georgia - that continues today. On Saturday, Damico likely will take on Hunt at No. 3 singles when the Longhorns and Bulldogs meet at the NCAA Championships. Little did they know then where that friendship would take them.
"Nate and I were best friends in pre-school before we even picked up tennis rackets," Damico said. "The first time we played tennis was when we were 4 or 5, but tennis was secondary for us at the start. We've always been friends and hung out together. Nate would come to my place after school, and we would get off the bus at the same bus stop, and sometimes we would get off of the bus at the tennis courts.
As it turned out, their friendship developed as rapidly as their tennis games. Though the Damico family later moved to Colorado, the relocation did nothing to sever the relationship between the two. As 14-year olds, Damico and Schnugg matriculated to a tennis academy in San Antonio, where they built a friendship with Hunt.
"The three of us are best friends," Damico said. "When we played together in San Antonio and traveled to tournaments in the U.S. and around the world, wherever one of us went, you would find the other two guys. Jamie, Nate and myself stayed in the same hotels and went on trips together, and we really just stuck with each other. We practiced and trained together and had a lot of fun.
The relationship among the three teenagers continued to blossom, and in 2006, Damico and Schnugg reached the pinnacle of junior tennis when they tasted victory on Centre Court at the All England Club and claimed the boys' doubles title at Wimbledon. The duo went on to play the main doubles draw at the U.S. Open in 2006 and 2007. Their strengths suited them well as a doubles pair, but in terms of college selections, they were as similar as the grass at Wimbledon and the clay at Roland Garros.
"I was set on Texas," Damico explained, "and Nate, along with Jamie, decided to go to Georgia."
Damico and Schnugg initially faced off in college at the 2008 ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Seattle. Damico knocked off Schnugg in three sets at No. 2 singles, but Georgia prevailed, 4-2. Damico's Longhorns and Schnugg's Bulldogs met for college tennis' ultimate prize three months later in the NCAA Championship match.
Schnugg defeated Damico at No. 2 singles to help Georgia win the national title. Given their history together, it was no wonder that their match ended not with the traditional handshake but with a hug between two competitors appreciative of the battle waged that night.
Fast forward to May 16, 2009 for another Texas-Georgia meeting during which Damico will take on Hunt in another high-stakes match at the NCAA Championships. Much as Damico lifted Texas as a freshman, his performances as a sophomore during the Big 12 Conference season and the postseason have elevated the Longhorns back into the national title discussion.
Damico has won 11 consecutive matches, and his emotional lift was crucial in Texas' 4-3 win over Tennessee in Thursday's semifinals. Now, with a shot at another run for the NCAA title, Damico looks to provide the spark once more for the Longhorns.
"We're a tough tournament team, and after getting to the finals last year, we know what it takes to get back. We came here (to College Station) for one reason - to win the national title - and hopefully, we can take another step in that direction on Saturday."
