Central Hardin High School senior Jacob Jiranek has found a way to succeed in the classroom as well as on the tennis court throughout his high school career.
Late last month, his abilities in both areas earned him recognition from the United States Tennis Association in Kentucky when he was named the boys’ Scholastic Achievement Award winner.
“As a coach, I’ve never seen anyone balance tennis and academics better than Jacob Jiranek,” Central Hardin head coach Jody Bingham said.
Jiranek carries a 4.0 grade-point average and is part of the Early College Academy where he will graduate with more than 60 credit hours and an associate’s degree.
“It is an honor to receive an award as prestigious as the USTA award,” Jiranek said. “I am thankful to my coaches, parents, and teachers for guiding me to become who I am today. Without them, I could not imagine winning this award.”
He says balancing his time between academics and tennis is about “managing my time well.”
“I usually have a set schedule so that I can complete everything that needs to be done,” he said. “I focus on having a good sleep schedule, so that I have time to complete and do well in school.”
Jiranek said he practices between two and six hours a day and finds time to go to a gym to get conditioning and strength work in as well during the week.
Jiranek finished as the 5th Region Tournament singles runner-up last season and then went 1-1 in the state tournament.
“While many student-athletes excel in the classroom like Jacob, I’m not sure they can keep up with his tennis regimen,” Bingham said. “Jacob is at the gym in the mornings before school and on the courts after school daily. On the weekends he’s traveling to another city to play tournaments.”
A former doubles player who won a region title and reached the state quarterfinals in doubles as a sophomore, Jiranek said he plans to play tennis in college.
“I am currently in the process of finding the perfect school for me that will further my academic and athletic abilities,” he said.
Jiranek is a team captain for the Bruins and a good teammate. Bingham said on the day he received the USTA Scholastic Achievement Award, he was on the tennis courts doing a clean up in preparation for team tryouts.
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