Lumsden Grateful To Spend His Last Season At MSU
March 16, 2023 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – Ewen Lumsden enjoyed a successful tennis career at the University of Washington earning All-Pac 12 honorable mention as well as being ranked in both singles and doubles during his four years with the Huskies.
But after receiving his undergraduate degree in education, Lumsden decided to use the extra year of eligibility awarded to student-athletes by the NCAA for the shortened 2020 season at Mississippi State.
"I've really always wanted to transfer to the SEC after a few of my friends transferred to the SEC," Lumsden said. "They said it's the best conference. I've always known that Mississippi State was a really good team and had great coaches. I knew all of their guys were fully committed and want to play professionally so I knew the training would be amazing."
Lumsden did not visit MSU during the recruiting process but all of his presumptions about the Bulldogs' program turned out to be true whenever he enrolled this past fall.
"I remember the first practice being so hard and I cramped in the ice bath," Lumsden said. "But the guys made me feel very welcomed to the team and I didn't feel like it took very long to get adjusted to them. They're all really great guys too."
Lumsden has been clutch for State all season. The Glasgow, Scotland native is 16-5 overall on the year in singles and has posted a 12-3 mark during dual match play this spring, winning 10 of his last 12 singles matches.
"Ewen always comes to the courts with a smile and has showed so much consistency in his work ethic and competitiveness," said head coach Matt Roberts. "He makes everyone around him better with how he approaches each practice and match and how he fights every point. We wish we had more years with Ewen as he has been a perfect example of what a Bulldog is on and an off the court."
Lumsden is currently tied for the team lead having clinched four matches for the Bulldogs this spring. One of the matches Lumsden clinched was against No. 79 Jonah Braswell to earn a critical victory against then 19th-ranked Florida.
The win over Braswell and the Gators was special to Lumsden. He had Braswell on the ropes 6-4, 6-6 before his match was abandon when Mississippi State fell to Florida in Gainesville as part of ITA Kickoff Weekend.
"It meant a lot because we'd had a close match with them earlier in the year," Lumsden said. "We had every guy on the court leaving it all out there. Being the guy to clinch it was just huge. It was such a good feeling and I'm so happy that we won that match."
MSU is currently ranked 14th in the nation and the victory over Florida is one of three top 20 victories the Bulldogs have on their resume this year. Monumental wins and a strong relationship with his new teammates have helped make Lumsden's last collegiate tennis season memorable.
"How these guys on the team train everyday inspires me to keep going and push so hard," Lumsden said. "To have wins like we had against Auburn make it worth it because we know how hard we work in the weight room and on the court. It's been so fun doing it with this team. I'm really thankful I got to come here for one year."
Lumsden's teammates are not the only ones he has drawn motivation from during his tennis journey. The oldest of his two sisters, Maia, is a professional tennis player and is two years older than him. She is the one that inspired him to pick up a racquet in the first place at a young age.
"I really looked up to her," Lumsden said. "She started playing before me obviously and started having really good results internationally. That really helped me and inspired me to try and get as good as her."
Lumsden is taking sports business classes and already has his degree in education in hand. But before moving on to a career as a teacher or coach, he wants to follow in his sister's footsteps and give professional tennis a shot.
And whenever Lumsden hits the pro courts, he will put into practice many of the lessons he acquired during his stint with the Bulldogs.
"He has improved a lot since he has been with us and he is going to take what he has learned with us and apply it to a pro career after college," Roberts said. "We will miss him dearly and are excited for the remaining months we still have with him."
Players Mentioned
