Fountain Central’s Jacob Keeling will continue his tennis career at Johnson University in Tennessee, the senior announced last week.
“I always had a dream to play college tennis, but I always thought that there wasn’t a chance to get to that level until sophomore year hit. Sophomore year is when it all changed, my game started to grow after a year of experience at the high school level.”
After four years of nothing but success within the Mustang tennis program, Keeling feels like he’s ready for college tennis.
“I couldn’t ask for a better tennis program to be a part of for the last four years,” he said. “I’ve played a lot of tennis. My success individually and as a team has prepared me tremendously. When I stepped foot on those tennis courts at Fountain Central when I was in sixth-grade, I knew from the beginning what Webb and Kight expected.”
Keeling helped Fountain Central to four-straight sectional titles.
“Jacob has invested almost as much time studying the game as playing the game,” Fountain Central coach Chris Webb said. “His efforts extend beyond the two month season each fall. He follows professional tennis, engages in discussions about latest technologies and mechanics, and put in time in the offseason to improve his skills. This drive and commitment to the sport has allowed him to not only play at the collegiate level, but also to understand the sport at that level.”
Standing at six-foot-six, Keeling has always had an advantage at the net over other players. Couple that with the ability to play both singles and doubles, and Keeling has a leg up on most players entering the collegiate level.
While he’s always had a dream to play tennis at the next level, the choice to attend Johnson was an easy one — fulfilling his short term goal of playing tennis and long term career goals.
“I plan on studying Preaching and Church Leadership at Johnson University. I picked Johnson University because of a few reasons,” he said. “When you step foot on campus, you feel at home, everyone is so welcoming. Like I tell people all the time, I wanted to find a college that would better prepare me for my career goal, and Johnson definitely fulfills that.”
