One of the top college tennis teams, the Saint Mary’s Gaels, defeated the San Quentin net team, 4-1, in a recent doubles match.
Gavin Leo and Maxime Olivan of St. Mary’s defeated Tim Thomson and James “J.T.” Taylor. Leo admitted that the Gaels took it easy on the S.Q. men in the Sept. 17 match.
“The game was challenging,” Taylor said. “We figured it was going to be tough. It was good to play them because I was able to see the ball from another speed. I had a beautiful experience.”
The St. Mary’s team finished third in the West Coast Conference this year, behind San Diego State and Pepperdine.
Assistant Coach Jerry Ellison said the Gaels are trying to get better as they were during his freshman year, where they missed going to the national tournament by one game.
Head coach Michael Wayman played for USC for three years and played professionally from 1975 to 1983. He played in the A.T.P. circuit against players such as John McEnroe and Llie Nastase.
“It is a great experience for the guys to come in here and play. I was excited to come,” Wayman said.
Regarding incarcerated men, Ellison said, “I always had a forgiving attitude. I just think people need to take into consideration individual circumstances.”
St. Mary’s tennis are from all over the world, including Joakim Norstrom of Stockholm, Sweden, Maxime Olivan of France, Shenf Hamdy of Cairo, Egypt, Gavin Leo of Sydney, Australia. They also have a few U.S. natives: Saad Venkirena of Washington, D.C., Steven Dawson-Roberts of Sacramento and Wil Martin of Los Angeles.
Chris Schuhmacher, a member of the San Quentin Tennis Team said, “I enjoyed this experience. It was cool because we got to see what Division One college tennis looked like and they got to come in here and see us as real human beings, not the stereotype that the media places on us.”
