The following is a thank you message from Texas A&M women’s tennis player Nazari Urbina, who recently completed her four-year career.

 

When I started to play tennis at the age of 5, I never imagined that tennis would give me so many good things: a lot of friends, happy and sad moments, frustration, joy, passion for the game, anger and beautiful experiences that I will always remember. The thing that I am most proud of, and grateful to God for, is that I was able to represent Texas A&M for four amazing years. When I decided to come to A&M, I was thrilled to be an Aggie and to compete for the Women’s Tennis Team. Coming to Texas A&M was the best decision that I could have made in my life. I never imagined that I would be so happy in Aggieland. For this reason, I want to thank everyone who has been part of my college career.

 

Thank you to the 12th Man, which is a big part of each sport and each aspect of Aggieland.  Thank you for all the support these past 4 years. I had a blast playing in front of you. Because of the example you set being Aggies, Texas A&M has taught me loyalty, integrity, respect and leadership among other things. I am honored and proud to be an Aggie!

 

I want to thank Coach Kleinecke for giving me the opportunity to play here. I would not be where I am without him. Thank you, Coach, for always believing in me and for teaching me what teamwork is. Thank you for all the happy memories and moments that I had with you on and off the court. You have been a great example as well as a great blessing in my life. You are one of the best persons that I have ever met. Thank you for helping me improve my game and become a better person, and also for giving me the opportunity to get a quality education at Texas A&M.

 

I also want to thank Anna Lubinsky Dickerson, one of the best tennis players ever at Texas A&M University. You have my respect and admiration for all the things that you accomplished in your tennis career. I admire your work ethic and the dedication that you have had for each thing that you have done in your life. Thank you for introducing me to Texas A&M and believing in me. You were right when you told me that these were going to be the best 4 years of my life!

 

Monty Gibson has been my strength and conditioning coach for these past 4 years and a big part of my college career. Thank you, Monty, for working with me, for pushing me and for being such a great human being. I would not have accomplished all the things that I did if it were not for you and your hard work. You are a person that I really look up to, and I hope that one day I can make my children just as happy as you and Leah have made yours. Thank you so much for everything!

 

Mark Weaver was a big part of my recruitment to A&M. Thank you, Mark, for giving me the opportunity to be an Aggie. I was really blessed to have you as a coach, and I really enjoyed your coaching all these years. Mark, you are a great person who has also been an example in my life on and off the court. Thank you for always being willing to help me to improve my game and to become a better player.

 

Howard Joffe, I was so blessed to have you as my coach! Thank you, Howard, for giving me the opportunity to still be on the team. You have also been a great example in my life. Thank you for always giving 100%--and sometimes even more than that—to your work. Thank you for always being the first one at the tennis courts and the last one to leave, which demonstrates your hard work, dedication and passion to the team and to the tennis program.  All the success that you have had throughout your coaching career does not surprise me. I respect you and admire you. Above all, thank you for always taking care of me and my teammates. I am so grateful to you and Mark for making me so happy, which at the end of the day, was the most important thing for me and my family. Thanks for all the amazing memories that I had with you these past two years.

 

Cristina Sanchez, I could not have asked to have a better teammate than you. You are probably one of the best athletes that I have ever seen in my life. I am really proud of you and all the things that you have accomplished in your life, and will accomplish later on. You are a great example of what a champion is! You have one of the best work ethics that I have seen. You have also been a great leader for our team. But, most importantly, you are one of the best persons that I have ever met in tennis and in my life. This is what has made you succeed in each aspect of your life. It is what has made you a great champion! I was blessed to have you as a teammate—but most of all as a friend. Thank you, Cris, for always being there for me, for your support and for being such a great human being. I wish you nothing but the best in your life.

 

I want to thank all my teammates for always being there for me, for helping me when I needed it the most and for all the memories that I have had with each one of you. I could not have asked to have had better teammates than all of you! Finally, I want to thank the entire athletic administration and this past season’s team: Howard Joffe, Mark Weaver, Monty Gibson, Zach Davoodi, Colin Hoover, Janelle Cuthbertson, Meagan Mosley, Kristi Mejias, Marcus Lunt, Samantha Gonzales, Danny Kniffin, Debbie Darrah, Cristina Sanchez, Cristina Stancu, Paula and Ines Deheza, Anna Mamalat, Sun Wen and Stefania Hristrov. Thanks so much, guys, for all your support, encouragement, hard work and passion as well as for cheering for all of us in all our matches. Without each one of you, we could not have had such a great season. I would not have been able to accomplish so many things this past year without your support!  I could not have asked to finish my college career in a better way than this one. I am so proud of all the things that we accomplished and all the great moments that we had this year. I am proud and honored to say that I was part of a team that made history at A&M.

 

Last but not least, I want to thank the most important persons in my life, my parents and my sister. I would not be the person that I am now without the three of them. Thank you for supporting me on everything that I have done in my life, for all your unconditional love and for all the happiness that you have given me throughout my life. I have been more than blessed to have you.

 

God bless y’all!

 

Thanks and Gig’em!!