When the Hillsdale College men's tennis team's class of 2020 joined the program in 2016, it was just a year into its reboot and in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference basement.
To say things have changed dramatically for the Chargers in the four years since then is an understatement – and graduating seniors Charlie Adams (Knoxville, TN/Bearden), Julien Clouette (Varennes, Quebec/College Francais) and Michael Szabo (Midland, MI/Dow) played a huge part in that transformation.
The trio helped Hillsdale jump into the GLIAC top four as freshmen, played a big role in a successful conference switch to the Great Midwest Athletic Conference in their sophomore season that included the program's first-ever conference title, and helped transform the Chargers into a team to be reckoned with in the Midwest Region.
While the Covid-19 pandemic cut the 2019-20 men's tennis season short and prevented Adams, Clouette and Szabo from getting the senior sendoffs they deserve, Hillsdale College would like to take time on what would have been the team's senior day to recognize these three athletes for their outstanding achievements throughout their careers here in Hillsdale.
Over the course of a standout four-year career in the Charger blue and white, Adams put together a resume that stands up against any that came through the men's tennis program before him.
His 121 career victories make him the winningest Charger men's tennis player in program history – and that's despite losing two-thirds of his senior season and a chance to add to that total.
Coming out of high school, Adams stepped into the lineup for Hillsdale at No. 3 singles and never looked back, spending his last two seasons as the Chargers' every-day No. 1 singles player and pairing with Justin Hyman as a junior on a nationally-ranked No. 1 doubles team.
Adams' play earned numerous honors. He made the All-Conference first or second team every year from freshman or junior season, including back-to-back first team All-G-MAC honors the last two years, and was a mortal lock to make it 4-for-4 this spring if the virus hadn't intervened. He also was a six-time G-MAC men's tennis player of the week throughout his career. In the final ITA Division II tennis rankings of the season, Adams was ranked 18th in the Midwest among singles players, and he and partner Ivanhoe Lissanevitch were ranked third in the Midwest as a doubles pairing.
The senior had several big moments and victories in his career, but two in particular stood out to men's tennis head coach Keith Turner – a victory as a freshman over a Wayne St. player that clinched a 5-4 GLIAC tournament quarterfinal victory over the Warriors, and avenged an early-season loss to that player; and a win at No. 1 singles against Ferris St. in 2019 to help seal a 4-3 victory and give the Chargers a win over one of the best programs in the Midwest.
Turner praised Adams' competitiveness and fighting spirit, singling out his ability to raise his intensity and level of play in response to adversity on the court as the quality that made him an ideal No. 1 singles player.
"Coming out of high school, Charlie could have played just about anywhere in the country, but he took a chance on joining a second year program," Turner said. "Four years later, he's the winningest player in program history, all while playing at or near the top of the lineup in singles and doubles.
"He's got one of the best backhands I've ever seen in college tennis."
Adams is set to graduate this spring with a major in Biology, and plans to attend the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in the fall.
Clouette had a star-crossed career at Hillsdale through no fault of his own, suffering a serious hamstring injury as a junior that left his future as a tennis player in doubt, and losing a large chunk of his senior year to the pandemic.
But in overcoming adversity and finding ways to be a leader, Clouette proved he's as much of a winner as anyone in the Class of 2020.
The senior finished with a 69-62 record for his career, playing an early role as a freshman in the Chargers' rise from the GLIAC basement to a top-four conference finish, then flourished as a doubles specialist as a sophomore, going 8-0 in doubles matches in conference play and helping Hillsdale capture its first ever conference title in men's tennis in its first year in the G-MAC.
Julien's standout moment came in his junior year, when his win at No. 5 singles against Ferris St. helped clinch a 4-3 victory over a standard-bearer in the Midwest region.
Even after his injury as a junior, Clouette continued to make his mark on the squad as a leader. Turner praised his ability to encourage and uplift his teammates and be a vocal leader, calling him one of the best captains he's ever had in his time at Hillsdale.
"The injury Julien suffered is one that would have ended the careers of most players, but he rehabbed his butt off and worked his way back into our lineup just 11 months later," Turner said. "He's someone who never took a day off and who I can't remember ever hitting a wasted shot in practice.
"His work ethic and commitment are special."
An excellent student, Clouette was named to the ITA All-Academic team as both a sophomore and junior. He will graduate this spring with a degree in exercise science, and hopes to pursue a Master's degree in Kinesiology in the fall, possibly at McGill University in Montreal.
Over the course of his four-year career with the Chargers, Szabo underwent a transformation as impressive as the program he was a part of – from an unheralded and low-ranked recruit into one of Hillsdale's top three singles players and a mainstay in both the singles and doubles lineups.
The senior finished his career with a 52-58 overall record, but showed dramatic improvement from his freshman year to his senior season, cracking the Chargers' singles lineup as a sophomore and playing a part in the team's G-MAC championship and rising to the No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles spots by the end of his career.
A win at No. 4 singles against Florida powerhouse St. Leo, the No. 6 team in the nation, during his junior year was his standout moment, showing how far he'd come as a player and giving him confidence to finish the season strong and build into a great start to the 2020 season.
Key to Szabo's rapid improvement were his natural competitiveness and an embrace of both the physical and mental sides of the game, Turner said.
"Every year he became more and more consistent and was better able to use the heavier ball he could hit naturally to his advantage," Turner said. "When he got his serve straightened out heading into his junior year, his game really started to take off.
"To come in as a two-star recruit and end your career playing at No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles and winning at those spots for a strong team is really impressive, and it's a testament to his work ethic and intensity."
Szabo was a two-time G-MAC men's tennis player of the week and also a strong student, making the ITA All-Academic team as a junior.
He graduates this spring with a degree in Accounting, and will go to work for Ernst & Young in Charlotte, NC as a Risk Consultant following graduation.
All three players came into a program that had very little history, and they helped to build a foundation for Charger men's tennis that will help the program for years, and possibly decades, to come.
We salute Charlie, Julien and Michael for their accomplishments at Hillsdale and their contributions to the men's tennis program and Hillsdale College at large, and we wish them the best of luck in what is sure to be a bright future for all three.
Thank you, seniors, and charge on!
Photo: (from left) Charlie Adams, Julien Clouette, Michael Szabo