Note: The following appears in the Duke gameday football program
At the age of nine, Tate Schroeder began her journey of becoming a member of Clemson’s tennis team. Growing up, Schroeder tried many different sports and ended up being very good at baseball. However, her stepfather, Dave Shear, figured she should try one more sport that she could pursue at a different level…tennis.
She never looked back.
For most kids, their dream is to become a professional in their favorite sport, and that was Schroeder’s dream. Playing national tournaments at a young pre-teen age, she developed the confidence that she could play in college.
Nonetheless, that aspiration would not have been possible without her mother, Teresa Petranovich. After working her dream job with the Denver Broncos for 22 years, her mother understood the sacrifice she needed to make to give her daughter the best opportunity to reach the college level.
Therefore, her family moved from Colorado to Florida so Schroeder could attend IMG Academy to receive better training and exposure. With the dedication and support of her family, Schroeder earned a scholarship to Missouri, where she played her freshman season in 2016-17.
In August 2017, Schroeder decided to transfer and quickly realized there was no place like Clemson. The family atmosphere of Clemson, and the coaching staff that took a chance on her, won her over.
“It’s something that you don’t see at a lot of other colleges,” said Schroeder of the spirit of Clemson’s community.