E8 Spotlight: Zach Shilvock
The Empire 8 Conference is full of talented student-athletes and the E8 Spotlight is one way for fans to get to know them.
Zach Shilvock (Alexander, NY/Alexander) is a junior on the Houghton College men’s tennis and men’s soccer team.
Why did you choose to attend Houghton? I chose to attend Houghton because I got a really good sense on my recruiting visit. I got along really well with the athletes on the team and I wanted to be a part of building a winning culture as Houghton was starting up the tennis program.
What is your sports background? I mainly played soccer and tennis growing up. But my high school has to stop the soccer program so I spent some time kicking for the football team.
What is it like being a two-sport athlete? It is a joy to be with two teams as each team has their own dynamic. It can be challenging at times balancing studies and being in season during both semester.
What do you enjoy most about being a college athlete? The friendships you get to make, especially the bonding time on road trips.
Who has been the most influential person during your athletic career? Why? My parents! They took me to every practice and supporting me at each and every game regardless of distance.
What are your career goals? I am a business administration major with a minor in communication. After graduation, I would like to get my MBA and hopefully in five years it would be ideal to be in sports management or sports marketing career.
What do you like most about competing in the E8? The rivalries we have started to make and getting to know some of the players on the other teams.
What do you do in your spare time? Hang out my friends.
Top 3 things on your bucket list? 1.) Attend all four grand slams for tennis (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open). 2.) Seeing the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres in a playoff game live. 3.) Attend the Superbowl
What is something most people don’t know about you? I love snowmobiling.
Invite four famous people, living or dead, to a dinner party: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Wayne Gretzky and Bjorn Borg.
Rapid Fire questions
Favorite food: Steak
Favorite band/musician: Zac Brown Band
Favorite TV show: The Office
Favorite Movie: Saving Private Ryan
Favorite Book: Winning Ugly by Brad Gilbert
Favorite place to visit: Adirondack Mountains
Can’t live without: Ice Cream
Pet Peeve: Arrogance
Celebrity Dream Date: Serena Williams