One Florham-Madison Campus team that is benefiting from international talent is the men’s tennis squad, which introduced a little international flavor with the addition of sophomore Brijal Lakhani from Kenya. Lakhanni helped the team capture the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) title last year posting an undefeated conference record and a 13-1 overall record.

The FDU Teaneck-Hackensack Campus men’s tennis team has won three of the last four NEC titles with the help of seniors Juan David Quinones and Alvaro Echeverry, both from Cali, Colombia; junior Kivanic Cubukcu from Istanbul, Turkey; graduate student Alex Cole from Swansea, Wales; and seniors Tim Soloman and Daniel Starczynowski, both from Surrey, Canada.

Cole, a graduate student in English and comparative literature with a 3.89 grade point ratio, was named the 1998 NEC Men’s Tennis Scholar-Athlete and the Northeast Conference’s Most Outstanding Performer at the 1998 NEC Championships.

Quinones has had a stellar academic career to go along with his athletic achievements. He is an economics major, a member of the University Honors Program and has been an honors student since spring 1997.

Not to be outdone by their male counterparts, the Teaneck-Hackensack women’s tennis team, which has had good showings in conference play the last few years, has added a couple of players with international experience on their résumés. Linda Hemmes, a senior from Amanzimtoti, South Africa, is a very talented player who posted a 20-1 singles record last season. After her playing career, Hemmes would like to open her own tennis academy.

Hemmes’ teammate, Marisa Puga, from Chihuahua, Mexico, was discovered at a national tournament in her home country by a member of a program that helps international student-athletes apply to American colleges and universities. She says, “One of the things that led me to FDU was the fact they had a program in hotel, restaurant and tourism management. Once I’ve completed my degree here I would like to focus on pursuing a master’s degree and then returning home and getting a good job with my degrees.”

Puga adds, “I look forward to playing tennis at Fairleigh where the competition is high. This is a chance to get a good education and improve my skills.”

As far as adapting to studying in another country, Puga says, “We’re all far from home. It’s not really the same background, but it’s almost the same situation. The hardest part of being far from home is the fact that you miss your friends and family, but I try to talk to them at least once a week.”

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