Jared Hiltzik was a four-year letterwinner and three-time All-American for the Fighting Illini from 2012-16, leading the Orange and Blue to the NCAA tournament and reaching the NCAA singles championships each year. His 115 career singles wins rank eighth all-time at Illinois.

Since graduating, Hiltzik has played three years of professional tennis and run multiple E-commerce companies. 

Jared: The past few years have been filled with a lot of moving parts. I moved down to Florida to pursue my professional tennis career.  I married my beautiful wife Heather, who was a gymnast at Illinois. My brother and I started multiple companies together, and now I am living in Charlotte, NC.

Favorite memories of your pro career: Traveling around the country with my coach Christopher Williams.

I chose Illinois because:

The coaches and the camaraderie between our whole team.

Favorite team memory: 

The entire 14-15' season

Favorite spot on campus: 

Atkins Tennis Center

How did the University of Illinois prepare you for your career? 

It set me up for success not only on the tennis court but for any avenue I could have taken in my career.

What were some valuable lessons you learned from your time at Illinois? 

Trust your coaches. They want the best for you. Communicate and be open with your coaches and teammates. Develop relationships with alums and the people that will be in your corner for the entirety of your career. There is more to life than just tennis and these are the people that will always be by your side.

How did the U of I help you grow during your college journey (golf, academics, personal)? 

It allowed me to have one of the most well rounded college experiences that I never even thought could happen. From coaches to teammates to friends to alums, every individual I was close to in college I still stay in contact with today. It is a very special place.

How would you describe your relationship with your teammates and coaches at Illinois? 

Our team had a culture and camaraderie that I am not even able to explain. We did everything together and we were brothers. Our prior alums set an example for what great teams do and we took that to heart. We have some very special guys on my team and we really took everything to heart.

What skills did you gain/develop by being an Illini student-athlete? 

Self accountability and How to navigate life on and off the tennis court. I learned how to use resources and how to communicate better. I learned how to better myself.

What is special about Illinois to you? 

The people. The people that I am closest to now are the people that I met because of Illinois.

What advice would you like to share with our current team members? 

Communicate with your coaches and be open. They only want the best for you. Be self accountable and don't  be a victim. College is where you grow, nothing should be sugar coated. You will succeed on the court by taking control of your tennis with the addition of using your coaching/training staff to supplement what you need.

Create a culture and bondage with your teammates that is unbreakable. A team that has each others back is a team that succeeds.

Develop relationships with alumni and the Illini boosters. All of them want you to succeed and they are incredible people.

Top item on my bucket list: 

Fly fishing in Canada or Alaska

Last time you were on campus? 

Fall of 2019