Five Years Later: An Everlasting Mark
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.
“When Dane arrived in Miami he was going through a major back injury and struggled to find the right directions to get over it. After a year of struggling and doubting he would ever be able to come back to play the sport, he was able to come back and start practicing for his second year. He was able to do that by putting his head down and putting in the work on and off the court to get better. Everything mattered from doing his schoolwork on time, getting enough sleep, a new diet and his work ethic in the gym and on the court. Using all of his support structures, he embodied what it means to be a student-athlete.” -- Niclas Genovese
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.”
Dunlap took pride in this role and entering the 2019 spring semester he was promoted from vice president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) to president, a title he currently maintains.
“SAAC has hands down been one of the best experiences for me in my life. This organization really helped me put things in perspective and show that life is truly bigger than sport. Of course, it was a fantastic way to gain leadership skills and work on time management skills, but more importantly it was an opportunity to give back,” Dunlap said. “SAAC taught me to appreciate everything that has been given to me and to use my platform to help those in need. I believe student athlete development is often times overlooked and this organization also helped these athletes recognize that there is more to life than winning a game or a match.”
Dunlap’s role as a student leader within the men’s tennis program was on display as he set up youth tennis lessons, packed up toys for children in need and on his visits to various elementary schools. His growth and leadership continued to make an impact on all those around him, including Shirelle Jackson, Miami’s Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development.
“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.
“Every single year this team improved in leaps and bounds, and that is completely attributable to the relentless attitude we have had to improving our culture. Over the years we have not only gotten closer, but we’ve learned to hold each other accountable and act as a unit.” -- Dane Dunlap
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.
“I am very excited for this opportunity because it will allow me to learn and understand the industry at a much higher level. The hours will definitely be very long and difficult, but I think my experiences on the team will more than prepare me for that. I honestly have no idea what will happen after New York. I would love to start my own company one day.” -- Dane Dunlap
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.
