SANDY — As tennis players go, Mandie Divino hasn’t been playing long – only three years. She credits her years of playing softball for giving her a tennis serve that has been clocked at 90 miles per hour. "It’s just like swinging a bat with one hand," she told the Intermountain Catholic. A senior at Alta High School and captain of the tennis team there, Mandie learned to play tennis while a student at Juan Diego Catholic High School under coach Arthur Miasaki. Now she has colleges looking at her. "All I’ve ever wanted to do is play tennis on a college team," Mandie said. "I can’t see myself as a professional tennis player, but I’m hoping for a tennis scholarship to get me through college." "Mandie has accomplished a huge amount in the past three years," said her mother Kelli. "But she should have started playing tennis when she was 10." Playing catch-up with other tennis enthusiasts her age means she has to practice more and compete more to get more matches under her belt. She not only plays and practices at Alta High School, she also takes private tennis lessons once a week and group lessons at the Sports Mall. Mandie is "a lefty" who is proud of the significant spin she can put on a ball. As a freshman at Juan Diego, Mandie found herself ranked 24th in the state with no intermountain rating. By her sophomore year, she was ranked 14th in the state and 69th in the Intermountain Section, which includes Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming. "I compete in tournaments every other weekend," Mandie said. "Most people don’t play every tournament in the state, but right now I have 100 matches to my name, compared to 500 for other players my age." There’s no doubt Mandie Divino loves the competition. She said she gets it from her mother, who also played tennis for Alta High School, ranking second in the state in her senior year. Mandie said she has always loved having something to do after school, whether it was playing baseball or tennis. Now she add "and all my life" to that statement. As young as she is, she hasn’t decided what she’s looking for in a career, but she rattles off a long list of possibilities based on her broad range of interests. With competition running in the family, Mandie’s tennis tournaments are sandwiched in between her younger sister’s gymnastic classes. At 12 years old, Baylie Divino is a nationally ranked gymnast. Both sports are year-round sports because competitions can be set indoors. Their older sister, Torrie, 20, is not an athlete, preferring instead to curl up with a good book. Mandie enjoyed baseball, but was looking for a sport with an outcome that depended only on her, her skills, and her drive. She also enjoys hiking, boating, and skiing, "but skiing has gotten too expensive." This from a girl who goes through about two to four tennis racquets a year. "I find tennis so relaxing," she said. "I step onto the court and I can get everything off my mind." With family vacations planned around tennis and gymnastics tournaments, and a strict Alta High School attendance policy that has Mandie justifying every hour spent away from school to compete, she leads a structured, disciplined life. "She’s a good player and a good student," said Kelli, "but there are people who are better." "I’m at the point now at which I choose when to practice or if. More often than not, I choose to practice, but if I’m behind on my schoolwork, I can take time off to catch up. So far, my teachers have been very understanding and supportive." "Mandie is a very responsible young woman," Kellie said. "She doesn’t take advantage of people. She’s very level-headed." The Divinos have a couple of recruiting visits planned and Mandie is looking forward to them, although she’s never been away from home more than five days in a row. "I think these trips will be maturing experiences," she said. "I believe that if I persevere and give my all, I can do most anything." If Mandie selects and pursues a career with the same kind of drive she’s pursued tennis, there’s nothing stopping her. "I want to achieve," she said.
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