Gustavus Adolphus
Fast Facts
Location: St. Peter, MN
Mascot: Golden Gusties
Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,450
US News Ranking: 77th, Liberal Arts Colleges
Coach: Tommy Valentini, 8th Season
3-Year Avg. ITA Ranking: 18
Power 6: 71.10
Blogger Ratings
Academic Reputation: 6.50
Tennis Program & Tradition: 8.30
Development: 8.13
Facilities: 9.00
On Court Persona: Focused, Doughty, Scrappy
Recruiting & Alumni
Target TR.net Ranking for Starter: 308
Sample Starter Profiles
Chase Johnson – 2 Star, #390 in Class of 2015
Zachary Ekstein – 3 Star, #233 in Class of 2014
Tommy Entwistle – 3 Star, #228 in Class of 2014
Where Are They Now?
Eric Butorac ’03. Former ATP top 20 doubles, 2014 Aussie Open Finalist. Director, Pro Tennis Operations and Player Relations for USTA
Joe MacGibbon ‘14 – Business Category Associate at General Mills, Minneapolis
Brad Entwistle ‘15 – Law School at University of Iowa, Class of 2018
Blogger Perspective: Gustavus Adolphus, tucked away in rural Minnesota about 90 minutes from the Twin Cities, has been a D3 tennis powerhouse for almost 40 years. The majority of that was under the tutelage of legendary coach Steve Wilkinson, however Tommy Valentini took over in 2010 and has done an outstanding job keeping this program among the nation’s best. Valentini uses a system of recruiting strong players from the Midwest as well as internationally and providing expert coaching to keep Gustavus competitive. The liberal arts school doesn’t have the academic reputation of some of the other top tennis programs, but it does provide a strong education and a very close-knit community with incredible support for tennis from the administration and student body. The school’s academics are very well respected in the Midwest and the alumni network in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin is large. Gustavus is very focused on their athletics department and their crowds for tennis matches are arguably the largest of any school in D3.
One of the biggest advantages to being a Gustavus tennis player may be getting to play the ITA National Indoors at home. Gustavus has hosted this event numerous times recently and the atmosphere is second to none. The Gusties have gorgeous facilities with a permanent six-court bubble and eight outdoor courts adjacent to the bubble. This allows for ample practice time even during the cold Minnesota winter. Valentini and his players take tennis very seriously and some pursue coaching after graduation. The community they create is as strong as any in D3 and you rarely find a player transfer or decide not to play tennis after a few years on campus. Gustavus gets the most out of what they have and at the moment this program is looking like it’s on the rise.
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