CHARLOTTE, N.C. - "Coming from a small school like Queens, we rely on our teammates a lot for support," says Gavin Ryan '28. "It is expected of us to give our best for each other because that is the only way we will be able to succeed." 

A spirit of dependability is what makes Queens Men's Tennis work. Tennis is an individual sport at its core, one match at a time, one player against another, but somewhere between juniors and college, it becomes something else: a team sport, built on players who learn to fight for a teammate's win as hard as their own. Today marks the launch of Investing in Champions, Queens Athletics' annual giving campaign, and every gift this week goes toward keeping that team running: travel to matches, equipment, and the daily resources behind it. 

Ryan believes his skills and discipline have sharpened in the team's environment. "Becoming a student-athlete has helped me improve my time management and discipline," he says. But when he thinks back on what the Queens Tennis experience has really meant to him, it's not the wins that come to mind first; it's the relationships. 

The program instills a sense of camaraderie. It sets high expectations and then equips you with the skills and resources to meet them. Former players have come back years later to say the standards they learned here prepared them for real careers, not just real matches. 

For both the Men's and Women's Tennis programs, the opportunity to form a family with teammates, to compete at the highest level, and to have the resources to do so, is because someone believed and invested first. Check out this year's giving challenges and progress toward Men's Tennis' goal of $5,000 and Women's Tennis' goal of $10,000 on the new athletic giving portal. 

Investing In Champions is October 2-9, 2026. Unlock Royals Club benefits with gifts of $100 or more. For questions or information on issuing your own challenge, please reach out to Danielle Evans-Clan, director of athletics advancement, at evanscland@queens.edu.