Sasa Nemcova
Having traveled to Wyoming from Bratislava, Slovakia, Sasa Nemcova, a tennis player and this week’s highlighted Student Athlete, has come even farther in academics and collegiate tennis.
Nemcova has a shining reputation when it comes to playing tennis. During her high school career, she was a two-time Bratislava regional champion in doubles play. She additionally earned the top spot at the grade A National Tournament in singles. Other reports show she earned the runner-up spot at the Masters National tournament and twice took second at the Bratislava Regional Championships. In singles play, Nemcova placed second at the Bratislava Championships and was a third place finisher three times in the same tournament and once at the Masters National tournament, according to her athletic profile.
Throughout her years competing as a Cowgirl, Nemcova has claimed some impressive titles. She currently is fifth overall in school history with 63 career singles victories and 13th overall in doubles with 44 career wins.
Many wonder why Nemcova would venture over 5,000 miles to finish her tennis career at UW.
“I wanted to come to Laramie because I wanted to continue playing tennis and further myself in my academics. I knew I couldn’t go any farther playing back home because my skills weren’t as high as the teams there required. I also really liked the educational opportunities the University of Wyoming offered me. Making the decision to come here was a no-brainer.”
Nemcova also has had success in her academics. Graduating last summer with a degree in International Studies, she is now working on her masters in finance. She already has a plan of what she wants to do when she completes her graduate degree.
“Once I finish my degree here, I plan on going back home to Slovakia. From there I plan on exploring the job market and finding something that best suits me. It’s my hope that I’ll find something to do along the lines of finance, but if not, I’d like to pursue my degree in International Studies.”
Athletes can be busy all the time pushing themselves both in their practices and with their schoolwork. When it comes to having some down time, Nemcova enjoys doing an assortment of different things.
“Free time doesn’t come around often,” said Nemcova. “However, when I do have time to just hang out, I like to spend my time hiking, playing with my dog, hanging out with my boyfriend… I guess I just mostly like being able to relax worry-free.”
As she continues her collegiate sport and academic career, Nemcova offers advice for future student athletes.
“The best advice I have for my team as well as any other future athletes is to be a leader and set a good example. Setting high expectations for yourself gives you the drive to accomplish anything you set your mind to. And when you set high expectations for yourself, people look up to you and challenge themselves to be better too.”
