A towering 6 feet tall, Marina Hruba, a sophomore tennis player at the University of Hawai’i, had a superb first season as a freshman transitioning from her culture in the Czech Republic, to being given the honor as the Big West Conference’s Freshman of the Year.

As a freshman in the in a new environment, Marina did not have any goal as specific as freshman of the year. All she has wanted and hoped for was to come to UH and play the sport that she was passionate about. Other than being selected freshman of the year, Marina has won countless sets of matches and defeated opponents on the the national rank and has so far presented a remarkable record, yet it was not at all what she was expecting. So humble and kind, her own success was able to catch her off guard.

“I still think that it can change, I know that it can change,” said Marina referring to her tennis skills. Her mentality is to stay motivated while having fun. Marina also expresses the importance of loving what you do. Overdoing and pushing yourself too hard will make you hate what you thought you once loved.