Each month, Drake Athletics and the Principal Financial Group features one of the Bulldogs' international student-athletes. This month, men's tennis' Ben Stride is the featured international student-athlete.

Stride is in his second season at Drake and helped the Bulldogs win their fifth-straight MVC regular season championship and advance to the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament last year. Stride is originally from Bognor Regis, England.

How were you introduced to Drake and what were some aspects that interested you and helped make your decision to enroll?

"I was introduced to Drake through a number of players who are British and were already on the team and the coach who had contacted me. I came to visit on a trip and really enjoyed it. Both tennis and the school programs interested me when I visited. I really enjoyed some of the people I met on the team as well as the facilities and campus. I saw that Drake has great academics so that played a big role in my decision."

Why tennis? How did you get involved with the sport?

"I got involved because of my parents at a young age along with cricket and soccer. I played the three sports until I was about 13 and then I decided to continue playing tennis over cricket and go from there. My coach at the time made a big difference as well."

What are some similarities between cricket and tennis?

"Hand-eye coordination plays a big role in both sports as well as the general play of both sports. When you are out there batting [in cricket], you're on your own facing one other guy is where it is similar to tennis. They are both more of an individual sport."

Do you plan to continue playing tennis after college?

"I plan on seeing where I am a year after college, maybe go on a tour and do a little bit of a graduate assistant somewhere and I can do those at the same time. If that doesn't work out after a few years then I can use my degree and get a job."

What are some challenges you face both on and off the court?

"I've definitely been sleep deprived a lot so that is probably the biggest challenge right now is staying awake and getting the work in on time. Staying up late and waking up early is tough. Depending on your classes, you have to balance your hard ones in the fall when you aren't in season and your easier classes in the spring when you are in season."

What are you studying and how do you plan to use that degree in the future?

"I'm studying environmental science. I plan to do something with wildlife conservation or meteorology, something along those lines. I plan to stay in America if I can, but obviously I have to find a job in order to do that."

How do you feel having international experience will aid you in reaching your goals?

"Having international experience I feel makes me more mature when talking about different places and how different people will react, mainly the social side of meeting people from all over the world. I think American students don't really experience that because, from what I have heard, a lot of them haven't left America."

What is the biggest difference between England and the U.S. in respect to tennis, schooling and lifestyle?

"For anyone at University in England, the tennis programs are not that good. There are only about three or four Universities that offer tennis. They just don't have the programming in England where as here they have countless amounts of schools and people who come from all over the world to America to play tennis in University. Schooling is different in England, you do an extra year before you come to University and you only do three years at University where as you do four here. They don't have the scholarships in England like they do here, you can really save yourself some money if you are a student-athlete in America due to scholarships."

What other hobbies do you partake in besides tennis?

"I can't really be involved in anything other than tennis because I don't really have enough time. But, if I could I would play either soccer or cricket. I can't see myself playing them recreationally just because it's been six years since I last played but I love both of those sports."

What is your favorite aspect of Drake?

"My favorite thing is the campus and community here. Everyone knows who you are and what team you are on because of the smaller population."