Mark Weaver reflects on his journey to winning program's first national title

Mark Weaver and Texas A&M women's tennis reached the pinnacle last week by knocking off Georgia in Stillwater to win the program's first national title. On Tuesday morning, the national championship head coach joined TexAgs Radio to reflect on the journey to the mountaintop.

Key notes from Mark Weaver interview

• I could not be more proud of the resilience of our team. It was a rough start to our season. We started 5-5, and things weren’t looking good. We went from No. 2 in the nation with high expectations, but we were putting a lot of pressure on ourselves. We made progress throughout the season, and as a coach, losses can help you get stronger and better. That was truly why we got to where we did this year because we took those losses hard and did everything we could to help us get better. If we hadn’t had such a rocky start to the season, we ultimately wouldn’t have been able to win the national title.
   
• There are two directions you can go in tennis and life when something strikes you the way you don’t want it to. Are you going to take the route of wanting more and trying to do the best you can? Or are you going to feel sorry for yourself? We went in the direction of wanting to be a champion. That was a big part of turning our season around. We wanted more, and we knew we could do it.
   
• We never sat around feeling sorry for ourselves, even after the SEC finals loss to Georgia. That was the breaking point of whether or not we were going to make a run at the national title or if we were going to feel sorry for ourselves. That was the worst match we had played all season, maybe the worst match in my last five years of coaching. We didn’t handle some outside things well. It was one of the toughest locker room speeches I’ve had to give, but the girls embraced it and were all on board with what they had to hear.
   
• Beating Georgia to win the national title made it even sweeter. When I saw the draw and how it could play out in the finals, it felt like it was meant to be. When we played in Athens for the SEC finals, it felt like 10,000 people, but it was probably more like 1,000, with only about 10 Aggies in the crowd. You saw the opposite thing in Stillwater. If the crowd was 1,000, probably 600 or 700 were Aggies. The energy and electricity were off the charts. It was as exciting of a match as I’ve ever been a part of.
   
• It clicked in my head when the NCAA draw came out that we were going to win it all, but I didn’t tell anybody that. The girls sensed that we could do it, and they sensed that I knew we could do it. Once we beat North Carolina, I think the first words out of my mouth were, “Girls, we’re going to win the national title.” I had that belief all along, but at the end of the day, you never know until it happens. Even before the Georgia match in the finals, Jordan Szabo asked me how I thought we were going to do. I told him point blank that we were going to win that day. I just knew it. I don’t mean that in an arrogant way. I just knew it. The stars had aligned, and it was just meant to be.
   
• Florida beat us in the Sweet 16 a few years ago at Georgia. It was a weird year for the SEC this year, and we were all under-ranked with how the indoor season played out and the way the ITA National Indoor draw was set up. We had three of the final four teams and both of the teams in the final. It was great for the SEC.
   
• Mary Stoiana is unbelievable. She’s so professional in every way and has such an exciting game. The way she plays is so unique the way she slices and comes to the net. She’s the ultimate professional in the way she represents Texas A&M. She sets the standard of how we want to represent ourselves in our conduct and attitudes. It was a great experience for her, and she went straight into the individual tournament. She had to dig so deep, and unfortunately, her run ended in the semifinals. She played like 16 matches in 10 days. It’s an emotional swing from winning the national team title to having to play the next day. It’s a physical and emotional toll. I was so happy she was able to make such a good run in the singles and doubles. She just ran out of gas. The legs weren’t quite there.
   
• It was a storybook ending for Carson Branstine, and it was a rough way for what we thought would be the end of her college career last year. She was able to come back, and if she doesn’t come back a week or two before the SEC Tournament, we’re not here talking about the Aggies winning the national title. Everybody was a part of that, but if Branstine isn’t in our singles or doubles lineup, we don’t bring the trophy back home. I was so happy for her, and she just knew she had to come back.
   
• I’ve been running on fumes. I’ve got very little sleep. Last night, I think I got more sleep than I had the last 10 days put together. So many people have reached out. I think I had 2,000 text messages and emails within the first 24 hours. I’ve been working hard on replacing our coaching staff, and I’m optimistic that we’re going to be in great shape going forward. I want to do this again. I wasn’t leaving until we won a national title, and we want to do it again. I also have one more scholarship left, and we have one of the top juniors in the United States coming in Lexington Reed from Florida. We’re only losing Branstine. Hopefully, I can get some downtime, and the reality can set in.
   
• I think the team is mentally exhausted, but they’re feeling good about themselves. They deserve all the attention and praise that they’ve gotten. It has been overwhelming but awesome at the same time. I remember telling them that when we won the national title it would change all of their lives. They’ll always be recognized as national champions.
   
• I need to find a break. I need to find a vacation. I’m not sure I’ve taken a real vacation in 10 years. I have some friends in Las Vegas who want me to come out there, so maybe I’ll do that. I’m looking forward to enjoying the summer with my daughter, and we’re going to go to the soccer game at Kyle Field and the George Strait concert. I also got us Taylor Swift tickets in October in New Orleans, so she’s excited about that. She has been counting down the days. I’m in good graces for the next year or so.