Coronavirus didn’t stop Duquesne tennis player from making program and family history

PITTSBURGH — Athletes across the country saw their seasons skid to a halt a little over a month ago, but just days before that happened, Jared Isaacs, a senior tennis player at Duquesne University, made both program and family history.

“It was tough,” Isaacs said. “We were supposed to have pretty much the best last month of the season.”

Have questions about the spread of the coronavirus? We have an entire section dedicated to coverage of the outbreak. CLICK HERE for more.

“I wish he would’ve had a little bit more time and could wrap up everything and get some closure,” Isaacs’ sister, Kylie, said.

Jared is back home with his family after COVID-19 ended his senior season. It’s something he never imagined, but he also didn’t imagine he’d become the Duke’s all-time singles and all-time wins leader less than two weeks before his season ended.

“It’ll be something crazy that I tell my kids down the road that I was able to break pretty crazy records during a really crazy time,” he said.

What’s even crazier, is that his sister is the women’s all-time win leader at Duquesne. She set the record back in 2017.

“That’s something that I could’ve never dreamed of, but it’s so special,” Kylie said about the fact that her and her brother are etched in school history.

“It’s really cool to see two Isaacs in the record books,” Jared said.

The two have a bond far deeper than on the court, and now in the record books. They share advice and look to each other for support, something Jared did when his season was cut short.

“I learned to not take anything for granted, whether it’s playing a sport you love and that you’ve worked really hard at, or just being able to go to a restaurant with friends and live normally,” he said. “I can’t thank her enough for giving me a good path to follow.”

Message of Motivation From Pitt's Lance White Message of Motivation From Pitt's Lance White

© 2020 Cox Media Group