by Natalie D'Anna 

Since coming to play tennis for the University of Arizona his junior year, senior Jason Jaruvang has proven to not only be a great player and leader, but also the guy who can give everyone a good laugh.

Jaruvang, a Phoenix native, first picked up a tennis racket when he was 12. After taking his first lesson, he fell in love with the sport and has been successful ever since.

When it came time to leave for college, Jaruvang wanted a change of scenery, so he decided to move away from the desert and went to play for Indiana University –Purdue University in Indianapolis.

While at IUPUI, Jaruvang was named the 2013 Summit League Player of the Year and 2013 Summit League Newcomer of the Year and had a .500 record.

“After two years there, I got sick of the snow and I transferred to U of A, since we have a men's tennis team and we are pretty good,” said Jaruvang.

Arizona's head coach Tad Berkowitz says he believes Jaruvang's transfer to Arizona and playing high in the lineup has been one of Jaruvang's biggest obstacles.

“He has handled this very well and I am proud of him for handling everything the way he has,” said Berkowitz. “When being a Pac-12 student athlete, you do not have very much free time on your hands. We have a very rigorous competition schedule, practice, strength and conditioning, work in the community and on top of all of that he is majoring in chemical engineering.”

Along with the transition, Jaruvang has had his own personal obstacles.

“It's a lot of mental game for me,” said Jaruvang. “I have always struggled mentally on the tennis court. It depends on the circumstances, but if there is a match I should win, sometimes I get a little tight.”

 “Over the years, I think I have been doing better with that. I have had more successes than failures.”

Despite Jaruvang's struggles on the court, he has had a lot of success, as this season he has played in the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 spot for Arizona and has been an asset in doubles play.

Jaruvang said that when he first got to Arizona, his role was just like any other teammate, where he didn't have as many responsibilities. Now a senior, Jaruvang has found that his role has completely changed.

“As a senior, you have to be more of an example on the court,” said Jaruvang. “You have to make sure everyone is on their stuff and that they are doing what they should be doing.”

Jaruvang's favorite part about playing for U of A is playing as a team with his current teammates.

“As cheesy as it sounds, we are like a family, and the coaches too. It is just fun playing for these guys,” said Jaruvang. 

Along with being a leader, Jaruvang has been able to bond with his team through humor.

“I am kind of mean to a lot of the guys, I joke around with a lot of them,” said Jaruvang. “I think they would describe me as mean but kind of funny and kind of a nerd, I like to study a lot.”

Senior Matt Dunn met Jaruvang long before they started playing together at U of A.

“It was cool to go to college with him for a couple of years, he will still be around so I don't have to say goodbye to him yet,” said Dunn, “It's been cool getting to play with him, seeing him develop. I think he hits the ball as hard as he did when he was 11 as he does now, so he needs to work on that. “

“Jason Jaruvang is a one of a kind person, he is just very light hearted and likes the way he plays tennis, he is a very interesting person,” said senior Trevor James.

One of Jaruvang's favorite memories is when he was playing senior Naoki Takeda.

“Him and I were just going at it, grinding back and forth, but I beat Naoki, he fell to the ground and was screaming to himself while I was just laughing in the background,” said Jaruvang.

“Jason is a very likeable guy and gets along with everyone on the team,” said Berkowitz. “Not only is he a great player, he is a great person as well and our entire team respects him very much for the kind of teammate he is.”

As Jaruvang's senior season comes to an end, there are a lot of things he is going to miss.

“I am definitely going to miss playing on the court and playing on the team,” said Jaruvang. “I am going to miss playing for an entire group of guys who I really like. It is mostly about the experience of playing that I will miss.”

Jaruvang will be at U of A for a bit longer to finish his chemical engineering degree. Although he will be done with tennis, he plans to help out with the guys on the team to make sure they are doing their best on the tennis court.

“I will miss just being around Jason everyday,” said Berkowitz. He has a very infectious personality and a very funny sense of humor. In addition, I will miss having him in our lineup because he is a great player.”