By Kevin Ivany

HurricaneSports.com

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – After winning six straight matches, including a sweep of a top-25 rival, the University of Miami men’s tennis team was hitting its stride midway through the regular season.

A battle with second-ranked North Carolina loomed, so No. 21 Miami took the Neil Schiff Tennis Center courts on March 12 looking to fine-tune a couple areas before officially welcoming the Tar Heels to Coral Gables.

Just hours after exiting the courts, the news around the college world struck and Dane Dunlap knew it only meant one thing.

“That [Thursday] ended up being my last practice as a Miami Hurricane,” the redshirt senior captain said.

A native of Washago, Ont., Canada, Dunlap first arrived at Miami during the summer of 2015 hoping to make an immediate impact. However, his presence on the court was put on hold when a discomfort in his back refused to go away.

After meeting with doctors, Dunlap’s first season as a Cane was cut off once he learned he had suffered a spinal fracture.

“That first season was definitely one of the tougher moments of my life. Trying to balance the adjustment to being a freshman in college with the thought of potentially never playing tennis again was very difficult,” Dunlap said. “During most of the recovery I was often negative because I didn’t see any significant improvements. The doctor’s told me my options were either surgery or playing through pain.

“I had an amazing support group around me however, including my parents and teammates, such as Niclas Genovese, who really helped me get through it,” Dunlap continued. “[Nic] taught me that a change in mindset can actually lead to a change in the way your body recovers. This mindset of determination to come back at any cost, not only helped me come back but helped me in all facets of my life.”

Dunlap’s teammate for three seasons, Genovese later returned to Coral Gables as a volunteer assistant coach and the duo’s bond continued to grow.

In addition to a full year of rehabilitation, Dunlap and his teammates were hit with more news at the end of the 2015-16 campaign when Aljosa Piric was introduced as Miami’s head coach in June.

The lone remaining student-athlete to grow alongside Piric from day one, not only did Dunlap have the opportunity to watch the program continue to improve every season, but Piric has been humbled to watch the redshirt senior grow in every facet of his life over the journey.

“The four years I have known Dane, he has grown a tremendous amount. He has been such an intricate part in putting this team together, including what it was this year. Dane has played an incredible role in building a culture that is hopefully going to stay here for years to come,” Piric said. “Learning through difficult moments in his first three years…he continuously brought a lot of energy, a tremendous work ethic and most importantly led by example. He has definitely been a role model for not just the guys on the tennis team but also the other student athletes around the athletic department.”

“The growth in Dane has been incredible; he went from simply being a member of the men’s tennis team to a standout athlete and our SAAC president. That does not happen by accident,” Jackson said. “It happens when a student-athlete asks questions, engages with others and cares about the welfare of not only [their team], but all athletic teams. Dane is a strong communicator and takes pride in representing the Miami Hurricanes at every level. His high level of engagement and commitment is what has set him apart in his leadership.

“He has shifted how our SAAC meetings are conducted; creating committees so more student athletes can be engaged, increased overall membership communication and has stayed involved with fellow UM student organization’s presidents to be aware of campus initiatives,” Jackson continued. “We are grateful for his leadership in SAAC and proud of his contributions. He has made us better.”

On the court, Dunlap has been at the forefront of the men’s tennis program’s return to national prominence, as the Hurricanes made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 during his redshirt sophomore campaign.

“For my first few years, I had the privilege to watch the program closely and learn from its mistakes and from its triumphs. I think taking those experiences as the veteran of the team helped me give some of the younger guys some perspective early on,” Dunlap said. “The best part for me was trying to show some of the upcoming guys the right path and to try to avoid the same mistakes I made.”

A year later, under the leadership of its lone returning upperclassmen, Miami earned its first back-to-back trip to the tournament since 2009, landed its highest seed (fifth) in the ACC Championship since 2011 and made its first conference quarterfinals appearance in eight years.

Before the ACC suspended the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hurricanes (10-2, 3-0 ACC) were inching back towards the top 20, most recently topping then-No. 25 Florida State, 4-0, to extend their win streak to six matches.

Overall, with a 6-0 home record to open the 2020 season, Miami was dominant at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center with a 29-3 overall mark since the start of the 2018 campaign, a ledger that includes 17 shutout victories.

“Competing in my last season we had hopes of winning the ACC championship and finishing in the top 16. It takes a very special group to make such a drastic change in a program, especially one that will hopefully remain for years to come,” Dunlap said. “My only goal as a leader was to leave this program in better shape than I found it and thanks to amazing coaches and teammates, we accomplished that. I will cherish those memories forever, but more importantly through this experience I’ve built bonds with my teammates that will last me a lifetime.”

Despite a season cut short, Dunlap caps his playing career ranked among the top 10 in program history with 58 doubles victories, while also tallying 51 career singles victories.

The redshirt senior captain earned his bachelor degree in finance last spring and currently is pursuing a master of science in finance. Securing a 4.0 GPA, Dunlap received a Graduate School Award of Academic Merit for the fall 2019 semester.

Over his academic career, he was honored as an Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar-Athlete in July of 2018, is a member of the elite Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) National Leadership Society, has earned a spot on the ACC Honor Roll in each of his four seasons of competition and most recently was named a recipient of the ACC’s 2020 Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship Award.

With tennis now in the rearview mirror, Dunlap is set to pursue the next chapter of his life working as a Corporate Banking Analyst at Citigroup in New York City.

For Piric, he could not be prouder of everything Dunlap has accomplished as a student-athlete at Miami, as well as knows there are no bounds to what the Canadian’s future holds.

“I am disappointed that he didn’t get to finish the season, as I know he had high aspirations, but a lot of the core values that he helped us implement are going to stay here for years to come,” Piric said. “I am excited for what he does in his future and going forward in New York at Citi Bank in the finance business. I know he is going to do tremendous things and I know he is going to be very successful in years to come.”

Dunlap echoed that since Piric arrived in Miami, the team would always talk about, “what’s important is to leave this place in a better way than what you found it.”

After five seasons of being an ambassador for not only the men’s tennis team, but for all Miami student-athletes, many would agree he has accomplished this goal.

 

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I will start from the very beginning…He was the one who showed me the campus on my official visit. He took me to Target cuz I didn’t have bed sheets and pillow for my dorm room. He has been my accountability partner since day 1. What an amazing role model and a true definition of a student-athlete. I know nobody is perfect but he was right there. He came when our tennis program was not even on the map and 5 years after, with his work ethic, dedication and leadership he is leaving one of the best programs in the nation. It was a privilege playing alongside you and always winning “ugly”. Good luck in your next chapter buddy!!! You will definitely be missed here!!!

A post shared by Bojan Jankulovski (@bojan_jankulovski) on Mar 14, 2020 at 8:31am PDT

 

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Its never easy to transfer, to come into a new environment, a new family. I was very excited to be a part of the U but still I was nervous for my new chapter at Miami. But the second I arrived in Miami, @dane_dunlap_ took care of me and made me instantly feel part of the U family. I can’t be more grateful for all the memories I have had with you (and everyone on the team that I consider family at university of Miami). You are an inspiration and truly the greatest guy and I have enjoyed every second with you and even though I only had the pleasure of you for 1 year I truly consider you family! I am sorry it had to end in this way, a role model like yourself deserved a better ending, but I am very excited for you and your next chapter in NYC! I love you my guy @dane_dunlap_ ❤️ and to the rest of the farm, I appreciate all of you and how you guys have made me feel a part of the program and your family and I’m truly excited for more tennis memories with all of you! Nothing but love for all of you ❤️

A post shared by Benjamin Hannestad (@hannestadb) on Mar 14, 2020 at 12:45pm PDT