Brick & Brew Sophomore Summer - David Horneffer

Throughout the summer, DartmouthSports.com will be focusing on members of the Class of 2020 who are currently in their "Sophomore Summers."

This installment features David Horneffer of the men's tennis team. En route to Dartmouth winning its first Ivy League title in 21 years, Horneffer went 7-0 at No. 2 singles and 9-3 at the No. 3 position, going unbeaten in conference action. In doubles, he and classmate Charlie Broom were an unstoppable pair at the top spot, taking down two ranked doubles teams and going 3-0 in Ivy play. Horneffer was named first team All-Ivy for both singles and doubles.

DartmouthSports.com: What is your favorite place on campus?
David Horneffer: My favorite place on campus is the Hop, because I am a big fan of fried/grilled food. My go-to meal is probably a buff ranch tender queso, though I have experimented with the buff ranch bacon tender queso which is also very good. I also have played some fun pick-up soccer games back behind the tennis center, so that may be a close second.

DS: What would be your best advice to your 15-year-old self?
DH: I would tell myself to step outside my comfort zone and take chances, because high school was the perfect time to mess up. I would also tell myself to drive slower before getting my license. I could have avoided some pricey speeding tickets that way.

DS: If you could swap places with one teammate, who would it be and why?
DH: I would swap with Roko Glasnovic. Being from Croatia, he is likely having a great time after his team just made the World Cup finals with a win over England, giving him bragging rights over our British teammates.

DS: What show do you binge watch?
DH: I binge watch The Office because it gets better each time. Recently, I've been binging Arrested Development, which is good if you like stupid humor.

DS: What was it in the recruiting process that sold you on Dartmouth?
DH: I took a visit during the winter of my junior year. Coming from Wisconsin, I really knew nothing about Dartmouth and hadn't given it much thought, but the coaches were adamant that I give it a shot. After getting to meet some of the guys on the team, I realized that I really liked the close team dynamic at Dartmouth, one that was unmatched by any other school I visited. I only spent one day visiting but going forward, I always knew that I wanted to commit as early as possible, a decision I didn't regret.

DS: What is your useless/hidden talent?
DH: I am really talented at whistling through my teeth. I tend to do it without really realizing, which would be a problem, except that nobody can tell who is whistling.

DS: What has been your best on-court memory thus far in your Dartmouth career?
DH: My best on-court memory thus far at Dartmouth is our 4-3 win over Columbia this past year. It had been years since we had beaten them. We quickly went down 3-0, but everything started going right and we had four big comeback wins in order to clinch the match, which put us in position to win the Ivy title a week later. It was probably the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever had on a tennis court.

DS: Do you have a nickname on your team? Who gave it you and why?
DH: My nickname freshman year was "Young Dave", given to me by the 17s likely because I was young. According to tennis alum George Wall, I have recently graduated to "Middle-aged Dave" which is one of my proudest accomplishments as of late.

DS: How is Hanover different or similar to where you grew up?
DH: Hanover is actually pretty similar to where I grew up. I lived in a small suburb of Milwaukee called Brookfield, and while there was close access to the city, the neighborhoods felt very similar. Brookfield has a lot more restaurant choices, including Chipotle and Chick-fil-A, two places where I spent a great deal of time, but Hanover has a lot more outdoor options, which are cool to experience this summer.

DS: If you could play another sport at Dartmouth, what would it be and why?
DH: I would definitely play basketball. I watch a ton of NBA games, and I think that basketball is by far the most fun sport to watch because games are high scoring and fast-paced. Unfortunately, I am not quite tall enough or athletic enough to live this dream, so instead, I have to pride myself on the fact that I was a slightly above average intramural player back in high school.

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