Freshman men’s tennis player Philip Westwood has already broken the Biola season winning streak record with ten wins in a row this season, and is almost halfway to the Biola career singles and doubles win record with only one year at Biola.
Westwood grew up as a grew up in a missionary family in Bangkok, Thailand and began playing tennis with his family at the age of 10. Around the age of 14 he started to play competitively in tournaments and competitions. He chose to play for Biola because of the reputation the school held with his parents’ missionary friends and because his father almost attended the Talbot School of Theology around twenty years ago.
Playing for Biola has been Westwood’s first experience playing on a tennis team. He entered the team with three other freshmen and currently rooms with his teammate, freshman Joe Turnquist.
“It’s just a perfect way to transition into Biola life,” Westwood said. “The team has been great this year. Our ages are really close so we are really close together, it’s like a family. It’s been a great first season for me.”
Westwood has spent a majority of the year playing second singles and second doubles for Biola. In his first year, the team earned the highest winning percentage the program has held in eight years. Westwood contributed with 13 singles wins, topping the previous school record of 12, but one win below fellow freshman David Garcia who played fifth singles for Biola this year.
Ten of his wins came in a row, resulting in a school single season win streak record. His tenth win came from a victory over Pacific Lutheran University on March 25.
“I had no idea what the program’s history was,” Westwood said. “So I didn’t really know how to break it [the record] and it didn’t really matter to me. All that mattered to me was to get a point for the team and to help the team win. When I found out I actually broke the record it was kind of a shock to me.”
Along with his win streak, Westwood has also broken a record in doubles with his partner sophomore Luke Mountain. They recorded 12 doubles wins in the season, topping the previous best of 10 set by Isaiah Pekary and Anthony Sena in 2012. Westwood and Mountain are currently ranked No. 25 in the nation for NAIA.
Westwood is also well on his way to beat the school’s records in most doubles and singles wins, being about halfway to each record in his first year in the program. Westwood currently ranks No. 19 in NAIA for the western region.
“Basically to get better of course [is my goal for the next three years],” Westwood said. “And just to be a better team player, to grow in that, and to grow also to be a better leader and a better brother to all of the other guys on the team too.”
Westwood will finish his freshman season in the Ojai Tennis Tournament that starts on April 23. His opening draw is against Alexander Roggenkamp of Grand Canyon University.
