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137 E veryone has read inspirational quotations speaking about the benefits of hard work. University of Iowa senior men's tennis player Jonas Larsen offers another. "If you work hard in every single field that you do, then you can become anything you want," Larsen said Oct. 10 at a University of Iowa Athletics Department all-staff meeting in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Larsen, from Koege, Denmark, has a combined 92 career victories as a Hawkeye. He is 48-50 in singles, with most of that action coming at No. 5. He is 44-29 in doubles. Larsen and partner Kareem Allaf are ranked No. 35 in the nation in the preseason Oracle/ITA Division I Men's Rankings. "Being part of the Hawkeye family is being part of something greater," Larsen said. "I have learned that at Iowa they will give you all the opportunities you need in order to succeed and if you take them, grab them by the hand, you can make something great out of it." Larsen is majoring in communications studies while also pursuing a certificate in entrepreneurial management. He spent two years on the Iowa Student Athlete Advisory Committee and in 2018 was named Big Ten Conference Sportsmanship Award Honoree for Iowa men's tennis. e Iowa men's tennis team consists of nine student-athletes and two coaches, so Larsen presumed when he arrived on campus that his circle of close friends would immediately increase. He didn't expect the size and extent of the new family. "I never knew it was going to expand to this much," Larsen said. "All (of Iowa's athletic staff members) have helped us to become the best possible version of ourselves and that is something we are all very grateful for." Larsen emphasized that at Iowa, student-athletes are taught to manage their time as they pursue greatness. One of the most fulfilling rewards is giving back to faculty, staff, and the university. "One of the greatest experiences I have had at Iowa is when we get results," Larsen said. "(When I) do a good performance in strength and conditioning, practice, at tournaments, or academics, that is the best feeling to give back to you guys, because you guys give us so much." When Larsen wraps up his undergraduate degree, he will return to Denmark and hopefully play tennis as a professional. His time at Iowa has passed quickly. "Everyone told me to enjoy every single moment because it is going to fly by so fast," Larsen said. "I was like, 'Oh, come on, it can't be that fast. You have four years, you can accomplish so much in four years.' You can, but I never imagined standing here today because it feels like yesterday that I was a freshman and going into college and starting all these opportunities." Larsen and the Hawkeyes have two competitions in the month of November: the ITA Oracle National Fall Championships from Nov. 7-11 in Indian Wells, California, and the Longhorn Invitational from Nov. 9-11 in Austin, Texas. e traditional season begins in January.