Throughout the spring and summer, we'll be honoring our senior student-athletes with a "Senior Salute" series. Today's featured senior is Luke Borgelt, a biochemistry and molecular biology major from Zeeland, Michigan. Borgelt is a member of the men's tennis team.

Q: Why did you choose to attend The College of Wooster?
A: I was interested in the strong academic programs and research opportunities.

Q: What does it mean to you to be a Fighting Scot student-athlete?
A: Being a Fighting Scot student-athlete means showing resiliency, dedication, and 100% intensity both in athletics and academics.

Q: What are some of your favorite memories as a student at The College of Wooster?
A: My favorite experience was being a research assistant under Dr. (Mark) Snider in the summer of 2019. I had the opportunity to stay on campus with several friends, find a passion for research, and learn new biochemistry techniques.

Q: What's the best part about being a student-athlete at The College of Wooster?
A: The best part is having the team culture. This gave me the opportunity to meet new people while having a shared interest in tennis.

Q: What else were you involved with on campus besides your sport?
A: I was a research assistant in Dr. Snider's lab and participated in intramural sports.

Q: Which College of Wooster faculty or staff member has made the greatest impact on you and why?
A: Dr. Snider has made the greatest impact on me by being a mentor throughout my research assistant job and Independent Study. Every day, he challenges me to think critically, and this has helped me improve in the lab and in the classroom.

Q: What other people or resources impacted your Wooster experience in a positive way and how did these people/resources set you up to be successful at Wooster?
A: Coach (Zachary) Hasenyager has had a great impact on my motivation at Wooster. He believes that we must work harder than anyone else to be successful, and I believe this has driven me both physically and mentally.

Q: Tell us a bit about your Independent Study project?
A: My Independent Study explores the degradation of N-heterocyclic aromatic compounds (NHACs) within the soil. NHACs are considered contaminants which come from textiles, pharmaceuticals, explosives, etc. My thesis is focused on the degradation of nicotinic acid (a NHAC) within the bacterial species Bacillus niacini. More specifically, I am studying a NicAB complex which is proposed to be a dehydrogenase that hydroxylates nicotinic acid to form 6-hydroxynicotinic acid and potentially 2,6-dihydroxynicotinic acid. My project seeks to add a novel CoxG enzyme to the NicAB complex and observe the hydroxylation activity by HPLC.

Q: Tell us a bit about something cool you did as a student at The College of Wooster
A: Spring break trips with the tennis team always impressed me. I was grateful for being able to have the opportunity to travel to Orlando, Florida and Los Angeles, California to play tennis and have fun with the team.

Q: Reflecting back on your time at Wooster, what is one piece of advice you would give your first-year (freshman) self?
A: I would encourage my first-year self to spend more time with friends. College goes by much quicker than we expect, and once we graduate, most people we know will disperse.

Follow Wooster's men's tennis team on social media!
Fans can follow Wooster's men's tennis team on Twitter and Instagram.

Interested in becoming a Fighting Scot?
Prospective student-athletes can click here to request more information from a coach and you can view the virtual campus tour here.