Brooke Tiemeyer, a graduate of Great Bend High School, made her decision to attend Barton Community College based on fiscal responsibility.
She wanted to stay close to home to save money.
Her choice to play tennis for head coach Lyle Stickney was made before.
“I played tennis my freshman year of high school, and I just fell in love with it,” Tiemeyer said. “I like that I was pretty decent at it. It just felt right.”
So when Stickney talked with her, she made a choice to play tennis while taking two years of classes at BCC.
“It was in the fall, after my senior season was over,” Tiemeyer said of when she made her decision. “I talked with the coach and then made my decision.”
Tiemeyer plans to study accounting at school, finishing her two years at Barton and then transferring to Wichita State University.
Stickney said that Tiemeyer has a lot of upside as a tennis player.
“I think she has a lot of potential,” Stickney said. “She has a lot of upside. She’s very determined, willing to sweat and put in the work to get better.
“She wants to be better and she’s a good student. Those are things that I look for in an athlete.”
 At Great Bend, Tiemeyer was the No. 1 singles player her senior year, where she said she struggled at times.
“I got my butt kicked most of the time,” Tiemeyer said. “I was the No. 1 singles, which is the most difficult.”
Still, she said that she enjoys playing singles.
“I like playing singles,” Tiemeyer said. “I can’t be mad at someone else for losing the match. It is all on me if I lose.”
Stickney said it is too early to know what she will be playing this season.
“I have no idea,” Stickney said. “We’ve just got through the first week of practice. Everything is still up in the air. We’re just working on drills right now.”
However, Stickney said that Tiemeyer continues to improve.
“She’s getting better,” Stickney said. “She’s been with me five or six months. She’s getting better every time she gets on the court.”
Stickney said that he liked the idea of recruiting a local athlete.
“We want to find as many local girls as we can get and still be competitive,” Stickney said. “I talk to local girls all the time to see if they were interested.”