by Aldana Foigel and Sofia Garcia Austt, with M. Stambaugh

Authentic, young, passionate and humble, Natalie Espinal is admirable on and off the court. At the age of just 17, she left her home in Tegucigalpa, Honduras to join the Nova Southeastern women's tennis team, competing at what she loves and quickly proving how well she can do it – while creating a pathway for her pursuit of a college degree. The payoff for all adversity surmounted is already beginning to manifest, despite the very early stage of her career.
 
This week, Espinal was already in uncharted territory for the Sharks, earning the first NSU appearance at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's ITA Cup in Rome, Ga., along with doubles partner Sarah Wardenburg. Espinal garnered her at-large position after finishing runner-up at the ITA South Regional on the heels of handily defeating the reigning No. 1 player in the nation, West Florida's Berta Bonardi.
 
Building on a robust count of 55 trophies and 14 medals garnered in various competitions prior to NSU, many on national teams while coming up in Honduras, the Sharks' now-sophomore keeps busting through the boundaries. She kicked off the ITA Cup with an opening-round 6-1, 6-1 upset victory over No. 1-seeded Kim Moosbacher from Oklahoma Baptist – the Central Regional champ. Joining with Wardenburg, she has also advanced to the semifinals in doubles, courtesy of another upset – this time the No. 2 seed from Central Oklahoma.
 
This being just the start of her second year, another significant contribution for the Sharks appears to be in the cards for the spring. The ceiling for Espinal is a mystery right now – if there is one at all.
 
"We are so fortunate to have Natalie on our team," fourth-year head coach Doug Neagle said. "She is so humble and a joy to coach. Natalie has accomplished so much already in her young career, and I'm confident she will continue with her success. She cares about her teammates and elevates their games. I always say players that elevate their teammates will get to the top, and stay there. Natalie is our quiet leader and lets her game, especially that backhand, do the talking!"
 
Her first months as a Shark seem like decades away - initially anxious and worried about moving to a foreign country and adapting to a new language, but her family's support and love gave her the courage to start a new life in the United States.
 
"My parents guided me to study and play tennis at the same time," Espinal said. "Giving up one for the other was never an option."
 
That guidance paid off for the Sharks' in her rookie campaign, helping NSU to tie the program record for wins with the best season since 2007, finish as Sunshine State Conference runner-up and host an NCAA South Region tournament. In the process, Espinal racked up a 20-5 singles record (19-4 doubles) in her first year, reaching as high as No. 8 in the national ITA standings and earning not only SSC Freshman of the Year, but also ITA South Region Rookie of the Year accolades.
 
Influenced by her family's love for tennis, Espinal started playing when she was only six, first coached by her uncle. He was her mentor for many years, until she started training with her current off-season coach Raquel Maldonado de Obando – the mother of Daniela Obando, an NSU teammate who shares not only a cultural connection, but also a historic one. Espinal and Obando competed in several prestigious championships with the Honduran National Tennis Team, including CONTECA (Confederación de Tenis de Centroamérica), ITF (International Tennis Federation), the Team Fed Cup and the Pan American Games (Juegos Panamericanos).
 
"I have known Dani since I was eight years old, she is like a sister to me. She is the one who told me all about Nova Southeastern," Espinal noted.
 
Friends on and off the court, Espinal can attest that having someone close to her in Florida has made the process of adapting to a whole new lifestyle much easier and comfortable for her – especially making that move while still a minor.
 
Born in late April, Espinal generated a 17-3 collegiate record before her 18th birthday – only reaching legal adulthood just three days before the first match of the SSC Championships. However, Espinal has consistently proven highly mature and aware of her responsibilities. Being away from her parents and brothers made her face new challenges and assume responsibilities that she was not accustomed to meeting. However, she believes being at NSU is a unique growth opportunity, despite the tough times – and family is only a few rings away.
 
"I miss my family a lot, I call them every day to talk about my day and activities," Espinal expressed. "We are very close and supportive of each other."
 
Although Espinal first struggled to adapt to the American tennis system, as it works quite different compared to that in Honduras, she has seemingly settled right in. Back home, coaches cannot advise players or they will be penalized. In the U.S., coaches are allowed to talk to players, help them with the game plan and cheer them on. At first, listening to coach Neagle talking while playing was overwhelming, because she did not understand tennis terms in English. But as the days went by, she familiarized herself with the coaches' directions, and she now enjoys being able to receive advice while playing.
 
Like all of the other obstacles she has cleared, her attitude has helped each one seem less daunting. Persistent, dedicated and consistent, Espinal knows that the only way to succeed in tennis is putting in the work.
 
"You need to work hard," Espinal noted. "When I go to Honduras during the breaks, I still practice and play every day. It is the only way."
 
Young, but a little more seasoned, motivated and excited for what is to come, Espinal is a great motivator for her team and is looking forward to another exciting Sharks tennis season. However, first the fall season is proving to be an opportunity to add more polish to her individual game and turn a lot of heads on the national stage.
 
"I just hope to perform at my best. I have been preparing for this," she concluded.