Most college students spend their higher-learning years collecting body fat and liquor bottles to decorate their apartment. On the other hand, many of the top student athletes spend the better part of their college years trying to collect as many wins and athletic accolades as possible.
This writer has the gut and kitchen window display that proves my standing in the college student world.
Faisal Mohamed, the senior captain of the Binghamton University men’s tennis team, on the other hand has the wins and titles to prove his status, which is that of premier student athlete.
For the past four years, Mohamed has done virtually nothing but win and win often for the Bearcats. Mohamed has collected more than 140 individual wins and helped his team to two America East Conference titles, including leading the Bearcats to the conference crown this season.
Mohamed first burst onto the BU athletic scene in the 2004-05 season, going 37-19 overall on a Bearcat team that won a school record 21 matches. Playing primarily out of fourth singles and first doubles, Mohamed proved his ability to be a clutch player that season by going 3-0 in the conference tournament, a feat that would earn him all-tournament honors. He went on to play fourth singles for the Bearcats in the school’s NCAA tournament loss to Louisiana State University that season.
As impressive as his rookie season was, Mohamed became a shining star for Binghamton athletics in his next two seasons, winning an astounding 80 matches in the two-year period. As a sophomore, Mohamed was named to the second team all-conference squad for his 18-6 singles record, a record that included his 3-0 run at the Bloomsburg Invitational that fall. During his junior campaign, Mohamed won the Flight “A” singles title at the Cornell Fall Invitational and led an under-achieving team with 22 singles victories, a career best for him.
His overall record of 19-16 this season may seem like he took a step back in his performance but that mark is highly misleading as Binghamton played by far their toughest schedule to date and Mohamed regularly went against each program’s best player. As he matured as a student athlete, individual records quickly came to mean very little to the captain in comparison to team successes.
“In my first two years, I used to think more of myself over the team,” admitted Mohamed. “If the team won and I lost, I’d be pretty upset … [but now] I don’t mind losing if the team wins.”
And winning was something the Bearcats certainly did this season, as they went 13-10 and captured the conference championship for the second time in Mohamed’s career. Mohamed went 3-1 in the conference tournament and will be playing both singles and doubles when the Bearcats take on Tulsa in the NCAA tournament.
Not surprisingly, the 2007-08 season was still chock full of personal accolades for Mohamed on the court. He earned all-conference honors at first doubles with teammate Gregoire Berner and for the week of March 10-16, was America East conference player of the week. Most impressively, Mohamed made it the round of 16 at the ITA Northeast Regionals, a tournament that featured 128 players, last October by winning three matches, two of which were against seeded players.
“That was great, didn’t expect that,” said Mohamed of his strong performance at the regional.
Mohamed is humble about why he has been so successful during his college career, contributing a great deal of his success to the people around him: coaches, family, the athletic department and most importantly his tennis peers.
“I think my teammates are why I’ve been so successful,” he said. “They’re always there in support of me and cheering me on and help me get better.”
When it comes to cheering on teammates, Mohamed certainly returns the favor, as he is consistently one of the most vocal guys out on the court, cheering on teammates during their matches, even if he is playing in his own match at the time. Sometimes his penchant for cheering on his teammates has even caused him to lose focus on his opponent, a weakness he fully admits to.
“Sometimes I go a little overboard,” admitted Mohamed. “But as long as we keep winning, that’s all I care about.”
Mohamed considers himself an intense player and it shows on the court. He is known for yelling, grunting and even throwing his racquet on the court, much like his favorite professional tennis player, Marat Safin. BU head coach Adam Cohen loves his captain’s intensity to the point that he considers it strange if Mohamed seems at all reserved when out on the courts.
“I think that if he is not pumped up, not grunting and snorting and making a lot of noise, then I know he’s not into it, like mentally,” said Cohen.
In addition to his vocal talents, Mohamed possesses a seemingly endless amount of physical skill. His forehand is considered by many, including himself, to be his greatest physical asset as a tennis player. However, Cohen also points out that Mohamed’s serve can be as deadly as they come.
“He possess a big serve. If he’s serving well, he can be tough to break,” boasted the coach.
Both Mohamed and his coach also point out that the player is as mentally tough and dedicated as they come.
“I’m pretty mentally tough,” Mohamed said. “I never give up.”
“You know when you send him out there to play his match … he’s going to give you everything he’s got and that means a lot,” Cohen said. “He’s one of the better guys I’ve coached.”
Mohamed, 21, may potentially be playing his last collegiate match this upcoming weekend but he believes tennis, a sport he has played since he was three, and one his father played, will be in his future if he decides to pursue it full-time. Mohamed is entertaining an offer to play for his parents’ home country, Pakistan, in the Davis Cup this summer but the coaching realm also intrigues him.
“I would love to be the assistant coach for a college team,” admits Mohamed. “Tennis is a full-time commitment, so until I decide to make that commitment, I don’t know … we’ll see where it goes.”
From watching his career and even if you just have a 15 minute conversation with him, one thing about Faisal Mohamed is quite apparent: whatever he winds up doing, he is sure to be a winner and a champion at it, just like he has been for the past four years as a the face of BU men’s tennis.