Nova Southeastern Athletics would like to recognize former women's tennis player Ulia Talalenko as its February 2020 GEICO Alumni of the Month.

Now using her full first name in her professional career, Julia Talalenko was a two-time NSU graduate, earning her undergraduate degree in Biology (minor in Psychology) in 2009, followed by her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree in 2013, Talalenko was a key performer for Sharks tennis during one of the strongest periods in program history. 
 
Talalenko was the Sharks' first three-time NCAA All-American in tennis, naturally also a three-time Sunshine State Conference performer. Through the course of her career, she racked up a school-record 68 singles victories with an .831 winning percentage, in addition to 69 wins on the doubles court. For 12 years and counting, Talalenko has owned the program doubles record on a 21-6 record during her 2006 freshman season, joining partner Alexa Korotkevich to become NSU's first ITA First-Team All-America tandem. 
 
A member of the 2014 NSU Athletics Hall of Fame class, Talalenko followed up her rookie campaign with a school-record-setting sophomore season and All-American honors with a then-program-best 20 singles wins, adding another 34 wins across her final two seasons as a Shark – garnering a third consecutive All-America laurel following her junior season.
 
With Talalenko leading the way in both singles and doubles for coach Michael Coleman's Sharks, the 2007 team set the program wins record at 22 victories, only recently matched by the 2019 team under Doug Neagle.
 
A Scholar All-American for the Sharks, Talalenko was enrolled in NSU's Dental Dual Admission program. Following graduation, she and her husband moved to Naples, Fla. to open their own private dental practice. She is the practicing general dentist at New Age Dentistry of Naples and her husband, Denis, is the office manager. She wasn't the first Shark in the family and won't be the last – Her mother, Lana, is a general dentist and NSU graduate, and her sister Anastasia will be graduating from the NSU dental program this May 2020.
 
In growing their successful family practice, Denis and Julia have also grown their family – with two children, Brady at five and Demi at three-and-a-half. Although the former Shark doesn't make it to the courts as often as she would like, the children are being introduced to the sport through community tennis programs. Julia said she remains close friends with a number of teammates from the NSU tennis team and continues to stay in touch with former coach Coleman.
 
"Being a student athlete at NSU was both a challenging and incredibly rewarding experience that I am forever thankful for," Talalenko said. "Competing in a collegiate sport while simultaneously pursuing my academic goals taught me about hard work, discipline, dedication, leadership, self-confidence and resilience. I am thankful for having an opportunity to not only grow and excel as a student and an athlete during my years at NSU, but also for the friendships I have developed along the way. I can truly look back at my college years as a special time in my life."