CLOQUET — Lumberjack senior and multi-sport standout Marina Dostal signed her commitment letter to play tennis at the Division III level with the University of Wisconsin-Superior on Friday, April 22, at Cloquet High School.
Dostal emerged as Cloquet-Esko-Carlton’s No. 1 singles player as a junior, where she compiled a 3-9 record during the 2020 season. Through hard work and determination, Dostal improved to 20-7 during her senior season en route to earning the No. 4 seed in Section 7AA along with Lake Superior all-conference honors.
Dostal said her time spent practicing went a long way in her improvement from year to year.
“I’m a very determined person. I wanted to get better so, especially at the start of COVID, I really went and played tennis a lot outside (by) myself and with friends,” Dostal said. “So I just kept practicing.”
CEC tennis coach Derek Johnson, who also serves as an assistant coach for UWS tennis, said Dostal had her sights set on being the team’s No. 1 singles player at the start of her junior year knowing she would take some lumps along the way.
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“We weren’t sure who was going to step up, and Marina’s like, ‘I want it.’ You don’t get too many players that want to play No. 1 singles when they’re going to take a lot of losses,” Johnson said. ”... She had a good, strong mentality of, ‘Hey, I’m not going to quit. I’m not going to give up. I’m going to keep fighting. I’m going to get better.’ And that’s what she did.”
After her final season with the Lumberjack tennis team, Dostal led the CEC hockey team in goals this past season with 19 in 27 games played. She finished second overall in total points with 33 (19-14-33), trailing only Dana Jones for the team lead.
Dostal said she’ll miss playing with the teammates she grew up with, but is excited for the next chapter in her playing career.
“They’re all like my best friends, and I’ve grown up with them and I’ve played a bunch of sports with them,” Dostal said. “It’ll just be different, but I’m excited.”
The Yellowjackets women’s tennis team competes in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference with four teams across Minnesota. UWS is currently tied for first with a 5-0 conference record and a 6-12 record overall.
The team is coached by CeeJay Schaffner, along with assistants Tom Proulx, John Foss and Johnson. Proulx and Johnson are both members of the CEC tennis coaching staff.
The connection with the coaches, in addition to the camaraderie of the team, has Dostal eager to get started with her collegiate career.
“I’m glad that the team that I’m joining is really fun and the coaches are welcoming. It’s going to be fun,” Dostal said.
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