Considering the circumstances, sophomore Juan Barriga had a pretty impressive showing last season for the NIU men’s tennis team.

Transplanted from his native Mexico in January and thrust into the No. 2 singles spot, Barriga put up a 13-10 record for the Huskies.

Here on a student visa, Barriga is able to do at NIU the two things he enjoys most: study and play tennis.

“I’m enjoying it a lot,” said Barriga, who is studying industrial engineering. “I’m really happy here. I’m getting a chance to study and obtain a degree as well as play tennis, which is my favorite activity.”

While being away from home and family has its drawbacks, Barriga is looking at the glass as half full.

“Sometimes it’s really difficult, but it’s worth it,” said Barriga. “Of course being away from my family and my country is very hard, but here, I’m able to study and play tennis.”

Coach Steven Rodecap feels Barriga is someone the younger Huskies can look up to.

“He’s someone who works very hard both on and off the court,” said Rodecap. “He’s one of the hardest working guys in our program.”

Barriga takes great pride in his work ethic and knows as he enters his first full season that his game needs work.

“Every part of my game can be improved,” said Barriga. “I’d just like to improve in general. I think I can improve a lot.”

With the fall slate of tennis action more spaced out than the hectic spring schedule he encountered last season, Barriga is looking forward to becoming even more familiar with NIU this semester.

“I’m going to have more time to study this semester,” said Barriga. “At the same time I will be able to work on my tennis game.”

Like the rest of his Huskies teammates, Barriga is looking forward to the upcoming season.

He believes winning the MAC tournament is at the forefront of the team’s goals.

“It’s going to be an exciting season. We have a lot of matches against ranked teams,” said Barriga. “But I think the main goal will be to win the MAC tournament. We want to be prepared and be able to win that.”

Taking into account what Barriga has been through, he should have the Huskies prepared for anything.