Once men’s tennis player Arenui Luethi decided to leave Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina, after his freshman season, he started reaching out to colleges across the country. Within 30 minutes of contacting Wichita State men’s head coach Darragh Glavin, the two set up an interview over the phone.
“On the call, I talked about myself and he talked about himself,” Luethi said. “And he had the offer right away. That was amazing (on) his part. Then the ball was on my side (of the court).”
Luethi waited two weeks after his first contact with Glavin to “see what was the best opportunity” before deciding he wanted to be a Shocker.
Now, he is adjusting to a new environment for the second year in a row.
Luethi, a Buchs, Switzerland, native decided to come to the United States to continue his studies and showcase his skills on the court.
“In tennis, either you go pro … or you go (to) college,” Luethi said. “I feel like college tennis is playing (at) a high level and I thought it would be a good idea for me.”
After being selected for the Atlantic Sun Conference All-Freshman team with Queens, Luethi said he wanted to look “for new opportunities (and) new challenges to step up my game.”
“I couldn’t see myself at Queens one more year,” Luethi said. “They transferred to (Division 1) and they were struggling with the budget and everything and I was looking for a good, competitive (Division 1) college.”
When Luethi arrived in Wichita, he said the biggest difference between Charlotte and his new home was the size of the cities.
“(Queens) was a small university, only like 1,000 students,” Luethi said. “But the benefit was it was close to the big city. Here, it’s not like a big city, right? But, just a good, big community and good staff and good people.”
Luethi said he liked the Midwest hospitality he was shown after he arrived in Wichita.
“What stood out for me is just how (welcoming) the people are, how friendly they are,” Luethi said. “They’re always here to help.”
Glavin didn’t know anything about Luethi until he reached out. Once they met, Glavin checked results and looked for how he could fit in with the team, saying he needed to get to know Luethi, “his goals and how he’s looking to develop.”
“He’s played some teams that were in our conference and matches that we played, so we had results we could compare to guys that we have,” Glavin said. “So that kind of (stood) out for us right away, and then just seeing some video footage, too, like the athleticism and potential that he has stood out to us even more.”
Glavin praised the energy and play style that Luethi brings, comparing him to Spanish tennis great Carlos Alcaraz.
Luethi said he’s an “aggressive baseliner, looking to get close to the net,” which puts pressure on his opponents.
“I don’t mind going to the net and just (playing) hard with my serve and forehand,” Luethi said.
Glavin said fans of Shocker tennis can be excited for the “new, young talent.”
“It’s going to be a good year,” Glavin said. “We got a good group of guys and a lot of talent, so (I’m) excited to see it all come together.”
