Shane Koob

Of the 12,376 students that attend SDSU, only 11 of them are on the men’s tennis team. Of those 11, only two hail from the island of Tasmania: Jamie Dash and his teammate Dominic Rossetto.

The first question Dash always gets asked is why he chose a school in Brookings, S.D.

“I needed somewhere to do an eligibility year, and luckily enough Coach Hanson found me,” he said.

The travel time from Minneapolis to Tasmania, an island off the southern mainland of Australia, takes about 20 hours one way. If you add the driving time to the airport, it takes Dash 48 hours roundtrip.

When Dash does make it back to Australia, some of his hobbies are rugby and following his favorite Australian Football League team.

Dash first started playing tennis competitively at the age of 14. In Tasmania, high school is considered to be grades seven to 10, with college in grades 11 and 12. During his time in high school and college, Dash also played Australian football and rugby and even ran cross country.

From 2006 to 2008, Dash was the captain of the state tennis team in Tasmania and went on to earn a spot on the 2008 Australian national team.

Dash’s success has come with him to SDSU. After sitting out last season due to transfer rules, Dash is off to a fast start this spring. In men’s singles, Dash has posted a 9-4 record.

In doubles, Dash has been partnering up with fellow countryman Rossetto. Over spring break, the duo teamed up for six victories in Florida, and Rossetto was named the Summit League Player of the Week.

“Rossetto and Dash continue to play brilliant doubles and have shown they can play against any team in the country,” said SDSU head coach Don Hanson.

That’s good news for the men’s tennis team, as they become more and more competitive at the Division-I level.The team travels to IUPUI on March 26, will face UMKC March 27 and finishes up the weekend on March 28 against Centenary.