Tennis has taken Aggie star to new heights
By: Anthony Esparza | |
| Photo by: Zack Ponce |
After being told he was too small to play soccer, Stakne picked up a tennis racket when he was seven years old.
Over the next ten years, Stakne evolved into one of the best young players in Croatia. He was ranked in the top 10 in the Boys 18-and-under age group. When he moved up to the Croatian Men’s Open Division, he won more than 20 tournaments and was ranked in the top 30. However, at age 17, Stakne faced the important decision of either perusing his college education in Croatia or moving elsewhere.
“First of all, I wasn’t sure what to study over there,” Stakne said. “Plus I had been playing tennis for ten years already and I thought it would be nice to continue. I thought I was too young to quit, so the United States was a perfect opportunity to do that.”
Stakne had connections to New Mexico State long before deciding to become an Aggie. His coach was the father of former NM State tennis player Stjepan Beg. He was also scouted by former Aggie tennis coach Don Ball.
Ball told Stakne about the university, the tennis facility and the warm weather in Las Cruces in an attempt to convince the young Croatian to become an Aggie. Stakne liked what he heard and decided to pursue his college education and tennis career at NM State. The transition from Croatia to New Mexico was difficult at first.
“I was really homesick at the beginning, because it’s completely different,” Stakne said. “I’m from an island and here it’s a desert, but now I like it, it’s cool. “
Stakne went 12-8 in singles play his freshman season at NM State and was one of five Aggies to win ten or more matches in 2009. His win in the Western Athletic Conference Championship quarterfinals clinched the match for the Aggies, and the team advanced to the semi finals.
Stakne got off to quick start his sophomore season, going 7-1 in the month of September. He went on to finish the season with a 16-11 record and helped the Aggies defeat No. 23 Arizona and No. 43 New Mexico in the process. Stakne performed at a high level off the court as well. He was named an International Tennis Association Scholar-Athlete and received Academic All-WAC honors.
As a junior, Stakne continued being consistent on the court and in the classroom. A five-match win streak earned him WAC Player of the Month honors in November. He finished the year with a 7-6 singles record and a 9-9 mark in doubles matches. Stakne also earned ITA Scholar Athlete and WAC All-Academic honors for the second straight season.
NM State tennis coach Carlos Vargas moved Stakne up to the No. 1 position in singles competition at the start of the 2011-2012 season. The promotion fueled Stakne to elevate his game to another level, because he would be facing the opposing teams’ best player.
Vargas said Stakne has provided the Aggies with a steady and solid approach in his four years on the team.
“He is not one who is going to blow the other guy out of the court, but he’s not one that is going to go down easy either,” Vargas said of Stakne. “If there is one thing you can count on, it’s that he is going to be one of the last ones coming off the court. He always has been.”
Although Stakne’s tennis career as an Aggie will come to end after this season, he plans on staying at New Mexico State to pursue his master’s degree. He said he would also be interested in helping Vargas coach the team.
Stakne’s decision to start playing tennis at the age of seven has taken him to new heights in his athletic and academic careers. The sport also introduced him the city of Las Cruces, a place he has become very comfortable in.
“I think it’s a nice place to live, because of the weather mostly,” Stakne said. “We are in March and we are wearing shorts. Back home I would freezing at this time.”
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