French Players Dominate for Aggie Tennis
LAS CRUCES - The New Mexico State men’s and women’s teams are predominantly made up of international players. Laura Bouget, Jim Brouleau, Gustave Diep, Stephanie Eusebe and Arthur Surreaux all call France their home. "Our team is primarily international out of necessity,” head coach Don Ball said.
The international players are heard of through word of mouth and by former players. Marc Legris is a former player at NM State and he now works in Europe to place players in America. Legris is the only men’s player in school history to earn three first team all-conference selections. Ball stays in constant communication with Legris and other people in Europe.
“Marc gave me information about the university and presented me to Don,” Brouleau said. Brouleau is a sophomore from Poltiers, France. He made the 2008 Academic All-WAC Freshman Team. This season he got his second WAC Player of the Week award, Jan. 26- Feb. 1. He is majoring in international business. “I liked that there was a French guy (Diep) already on the team and I heard great things about NMSU,” Brouleau said. The team spends a lot of time together and they build good relationships with one another.
“Our coaching staff is in tune with their needs like school and housing,” Ball said. “The team is like a family,” Bouget said. She is from Annecy Le Vieux, France and is a junior at NM State. Students in France are unable to study and play sports at the collegiate level. Tennis is one of the most popular sports in Europe, especially for women. “I wanted to be able to travel, practice and study,” Eusebe said. Eusebe is a senior from Champs sur Marne, France. She was named to the All-WAC second team in singles play in the 2008 spring dual match season. Eusebe is majoring in individualized studies.
“Individualized studies allows you to study a little bit of everything,” Eusebe said. A degree in individualized studies makes it easier to transfer credits from international schools. “I really like the English classes,” Boguet said. “I didn’t know the language well when I moved here so it helped me a lot.” “The university has a really good English program and the classes count towards their degree,” Ball said. “The players were shocked by how friendly the teachers are,” Ball said. Several Aggie tennis players have made the Academic All-WAC teams. In 2008, Eusebe, Diep and Brouleau got the honor. Past French players, Anne Fagegaltier, Isabelle Mignot, Violaine Rollet and Brice Magnanou made the Academic All-WAC team.
The Aggies travel a lot during their season and have to complete a lot of homework on the road. “We travel more than most schools and they get to see a lot of the U.S.,” Ball said. The New Mexico weather is a huge advantage to these French players. “I like the weather and surroundings in Las Cruces,” Diep said. “The school is good too, I really like it here.” Diep is a junior and is studying biochemistry/pre-medicine with a 4.0 G.P.A. He is just the fifth Aggie ever to earn all-conference accolades in back-to-back seasons. Diep was named the 2007 ITA Mountain Region Rookie of the Year. “Some of the best players we’ve had are from Europe,” Ball said. “Jim and Gustave are both exceptional and Arthur will be at that level shortly.
“Our girls are really solid tennis players,” Ball added. The women’s team has been struggling with injuries this year. Boguet is 2-2 in singles and 4-1 in doubles this spring; meanwhile, Eusebe is 5-3 in singles and 5-3 in doubles. Brouleau has been playing the one position in singles and has a record of 9-3. He is 6-4 in doubles. Diep has an outstanding record of 9-3 in singles and 5-4 in doubles. Surreaux is 11-1 in singles and has won his last seven matches. The French players look to continue their success and lead the Aggies through the remainder of the season.
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