A group of twelve-and-thirteen-year-olds gathered in a circle, waiting to hear what their tennis camp instructor had to say.
“How many of you want to play collegiate tennis one day?”
Will Piekarsky raised his hand.
Nothing special happened the first time Piekarsky, now a graduate student, picked up a tennis racket. The sport was simply an activity to keep the energetic five-year-old busy during his family’s annual summer vacations to Pennsylvania. And for nine years, that’s all the sport was — a summer activity.
It wasn’t until Piekarsky began high school that he decided to take tennis seriously. He played tennis for the Bloomington High School South Panthers, and it was there that he would be an All-State honoree twice while earning three Area Player of the Year accolades. He’d also make the Indiana Senior Boys All-Star tennis roster in 2015.
Despite success as a high school player, Piekarsky initially had just one Division I offer as a senior: Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Indiana University, his hometown school, remained his biggest goal.
“Being from Bloomington, I just loved Indiana so much,” Piekarsky said. “It was always the dream of mine.”
Born and raised in the area, Piekarsky grew up an avid IU fan. He practiced at the IU Tennis Center in his younger years and through his seasons in junior tennis. After a late offer for a spot as a walk-on and getting accepted into the Kelley School of Business, Piekarsky knew that he had to come to IU. For him, it was the perfect opportunity all at once.
“It was a no-brainer for me,” he said. “I just couldn’t say no.”
Piekarsky walked on to the program in 2016. He joined head coach Jeremy Wurtzman’s second recruiting class at IU, one that was focused more on local recruits rather than internationals.
“With our recruiting class, they were looking for a lot of Americans,” Piekarsky said. “I was especially offered a spot because I was from Bloomington and knew the culture of IU and what it took.”
As a walk-on, Piekarsky had to prove himself from the start. Wurtzman said that Piekarsky never skipped practice and was always there for his teammates.
“I remember with Will, our first week of practice we were in tough conditioning and right away he’s yelling “Hoosiers!” and getting everyone fired up to get through the workout,” Wurtzman said. “And I think that really proved to show what he was all about—just blood, sweat, and tears for this program.”
Piekarsky eventually moved to a starting doubles spot during his senior year. He competed in doubles for the last two years, picking up a .706 winning percentage.
This past season, Piekarsky started every match at No. 3 doubles. He spent the last fifteen matches playing with freshman Ilya Tiraspolsky, and the pair have an 8-4 record together.
“He’s played a big role in doubles,” Wurtzman said. “That has meant so much to this team and so much to him, I know.”
But it was never about the playing time for Piekarsky. He hopes that through his time at IU, his teammates learned how to “give it all for the team.” He said that he wants them to be selfless because that’s the teammate he tried to be, and the culture that needs to be continued.
One of Piekarsky’s proudest moments was being named a team captain, but he can’t name one specific moment that stands out in his career.
“I don’t know if there even is just one special moment,” Piekarsky said. “Spending every day with the guys and being able to look back and see the culture we built is really special every day.”
After spending the last few years with the team, he’s proud of how things have progressed.
“Seeing how the culture has evolved in the five years that I’ve been here, from where we’ve started to where we are now, it’s just a whole different atmosphere,” Piekarsky said. “Good things are on the way.”
After coaching Piekarsky for five seasons, Wurtzman describes him in one word.
“Passionate,” he said. “He’s brought so much passion and positivity to this team and it’s contagious to everyone. Will has given everything to this team.”
Piekarsky started out as a Bloomington kid with big dreams and finished as a doubles starter, a team captain, and a leader in the program. The twelve-year-old boy who raised his hand at a tennis camp over a decade ago had no idea the success that was to come.
“It was from the first week here until the last match that he played, Will was going to give everything that he has to this program,” Wurtzman said. “He is a true Hoosier in every single way.”
