In this week’s University Spotlight, we’re going to talk about the university of one of our Slamstox tennis players: Jim Hendrikx! You may have seen Jim pass by before, because he was featured in the article about the top 10 UTR College Tennis players a little while ago.
Jim comes from Heeze in Brabant and was trained at Amjoy Tennis during his youth. He was always one of the best players in his age, obtained his VWO diploma at Sint Joris College in Eindhoven and left for Samford University in September 2020. With that, Jim transformed from ‘Amjoy Tiger’ to ‘Samford Bulldog’!
Jim is studying at Samford and is part of the Men’s tennis team. The team consists of 10 players from America, England, Argentina, South Africa, Spain, Peru, Tunisia and the Netherlands. So his team is very international! Jim’s teammate from Peru, Victor Chaw, is his regular doubles partner. Together they form ‘the golden duo’ since they managed to secure a place in the history books of the university. But you will read more about that later.
Samford is a great university that wants the best for the bulldogs athletically, Jim told the ED:
“I think the facilities at Samford are comparable to those at PSV. If I call now, I will be on the treatment table with the physiotherapist in five minutes. And there is a coach ready within ten minutes if I want to start training.”
Want to know more about Jim’s university? Keep reading!
Campus
Samford University is a private university located in Birmingham, Alabama. The university has been in existence since 1841 and about 5800 students are part of the university annually. That is not much by American standards, but that is normal for a private university. The campus is in good shape, you can see part of it in the photo below.
Just like in any university spotlight, we take a look at what we find most special, the sports facilities! Samford University also wants the very best for the Bulldogs. Two special facilities of Samford can be found below.
American Football, one of the biggest sports in America and also for Samford University it is an important part. The American Football team has two facilities that they can use: the ‘sullivan-cooney family fieldhouse’ and the ‘seibert stadium’. You can see the stadium in the photo below. It has been the home stadium where the bulldogs play their games since 1958!
The ‘Pete Hanna Center’ is another great facility at the university, it is the stadium where the basketball and volleyball teams play their games. A beautiful stadium with space for no less than 5000 fans at the same time! This all includes a cool Bulldog in the center of the floor. You can see it in the photo below.
In addition to the above facilities, there are also outdoor and indoor tennis courts, an indoor and outdoor athletics track, a golf course, a baseball and softball field and much more.. Want to see everything? Then check the facilities page on the athletic website.
And if you want to see more of the campus, check out the university video below!
Do you also want to become a student athlete at an American university?
Athletics
The student-athletes at Samford are called the Bulldogs, in total there are 15 varsity teams in 9 different sports. The Bulldogs are part of the NCAA Division I and play in the Southern Conference. The university colors are red & blue and yes: this university also has a great mascot! You can spot ‘Spike the Bulldog’ in the photo below.
Samford also has its own ‘fight song’ with which the student-athletes are encouraged. Do you already know it by heart, Jim?
Fight, Fight, Fight, for Samford Bulldogs
Going onward to victory.
Oh, we’ll wear the red and blue,
Samford we’re all for you…and we love you too!
Fight, Fight, Fight, for Samford Bulldogs
Go onward to victory.
Oh we’ll give a cheer or two,
Samford we’re all for you…Fight, Fight, Fight!
This encouragement proved successful: since the university became part of the Southern Conference in 2008, the university has won no less than 48 Conference Titles!
Jim’s time as a student-athlete at Samford has only just begun, but already he has achieved results that will be recorded in the school’s history books. He and his doubles partner reached the top 20 of all schools in America and together they made it to the NCAA Men’s Doubles Championships. A great achievement that many student-athletes strive for! About making the top 20 Jim said the following:
“I got a message from the president of the school, he is proud. We really experience it here together.”
The team’s success is due to the talented and hardworking players, but also to the coaching work of Rahim Esmail. He is the Head Coach of the men’s tennis team and was named Southern Conference Coach of the Year. Coach Rahim was not the only one to receive an award, as many as six ‘honors’ were awarded within the men’s tennis team. Two of those were for Jim: First team doubles honors and he was named to the All-Freshman team. Go Jim!
The video below was made by the university in 2019. Check it out!
Academics
Studying, that’s what the bulldogs do too. After all, that’s what makes a student-athlete, a student-athlete. There are many different courses offered at Samford, if you want to know whether the study you like is also offered at the university, you can check this page.
We have listed a number of fast facts about Samford. Because did you know that…
- only 33% of the students at Samford are male?
- 65% of students live at campus?
- 60% of the classes are with less than 20 students?
- the student:faculty ratio is 13:1?
- during the graduation ceremony at Samford you’re wearing the outfit same as in the picture below? #bucketlistthings!
Did you start thinking: “What Jim does, I want that too!”? Reach out to us and we will discuss your options together.
