June 29, 2010

by Nicole Mechling, Illinois Sports Information

After completing one of the most successful seasons in recent years as members of the Fighting Illini women's tennis team, graduates Megan Fudge, Christine Stromberg and Kristina Minor said farewell to the University of Illinois. While their days at Atkins Tennis Center have ended, the former athletes' sports careers are far from over.

Fudge, a recreation, sport and tourism major, foresees tennis in her future and hopes to give back to the sport that has given her so much.

"I am currently looking for an internship position at a college or an academy," Fudge said. "In the long term, I would like to work as a college coach."

During her time at Illinois, Fudge received All-Big Ten honors and was voted Advantage Illinois Most Valuable Player in each of her four seasons. After posting four 20-win seasons, the tennis star is third in Illinois all-time singles victories with 97.

Similarly, Stromberg, a three-time recipient of the team's Strength and Conditioning Award and two-time winner of the Scholar-Athlete Award, plans to focus her attention on sports.

"If a job in college athletics became available at a school in a big city, I would definitely want to do that," Stromberg said. "Right now, I am looking for front office staff positions with different professional sports teams as well as park district programming jobs."

While she plans to enter the workforce immediately, Stromberg, who also majored in recreation, sport and tourism, hopes to someday continue her education.

"At some point, I would like to get either a master of business administration or a master of sport administration," Stromberg said. "I would like to work first to gain some experience before returning to school."

Minor, a psychology major and three-time recipient of the Brianna Knue Fighting Illini Spirit Award, has a slightly different goal in mind.

"I'm going to Marquette Law School starting this fall," Minor said. "I'm thinking of going into sport law."

While law school may seem daunting to some, Minor is ready.

"I really don't think law school or any other field that my teammates enter could compare to the stuff we've done at Illinois," Minor said, referring to the demands of early-morning running, practices, classes and lifting. "I'm not worried or stressed about how I'm going to handle anything."

Despite their long lists of achievements, the departing seniors will miss one aspect of the game more than anything else - the team.

"We spent so much time together on and off the court," Fudge said of her teammates. "It's going to be weird to not be around them all the time."

Her former teammates agree.

"I miss the people," Minor said. "For years now, it has been - you go to practice, you go to school, you go to bed, you get up, you go to work out. We worked hard together, and now that I don't have that, I miss it."

As they say goodbye to their days as Fighting Illini athletes, the recent graduates are grateful for their time at Illinois.

"Both the school and the tennis program are very competitive and have taught me to push myself to rise above the high standards set around me," Stromberg said. "I have gained valuable skills, such as time management, hard work and discipline. Having to manage so many things at one time has prepared me for what will come in the future."

Minor feels equally thankful for her Illinois experiences.

"I've had to play girls who thought cheating was acceptable," she added. "I've had to deal with line judges who are making bad calls. I've been busy, stressed and injured, and I made it."