Gonzalez, a native of Omaha, Nebraska, found out about Barton through a chance trip by former Bulldogs’ Head Tennis Coach Marc Walter’s chance trip to the state to see one of his former men’s players compete.

“He (Marc) asked me if I would like to come visit Barton and see if I would be interested in playing there,” said Gonzalez.  “I knew I wanted to play in college and also knew I wanted to go away for college and not stay in town.”

“We made the trip out there and met the girls team.  I loved how they all got along and decided Barton was where I would go college.”

Gonzalez was a highly-decorated prep tennis player, winning the Nebraska state championship in 2001 at No. 2 singles after finishing runner-up in 1999 and 2000.  As a senior in 2002, Gonzalez led her squad to second place at states while she finished second at No. 1 singles.

At Barton, Gonzalez was a three-time All-Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference honoree (2003-05) in women’s tennis including first-team all-league accolades in 2005.

During her three seasons with the Bulldogs, Gonzalez helped lead the squad to a 66-21 overall mark including a 27-3 record against league foes.

In 2004, Barton won both the CVAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships and earned a berth to the NCAA Division II Regionals.

“One of my fondest memories was the team atmosphere,” said Gonzalez.  “Everyone was always cheering each other on.  Tennis can be a very individual sport but at Barton, it always felt like a team event.  It was a fun atmosphere.  We spent time together as a team on and off the courts.  They became my family away from home.”

Gonzalez, a biology major and a 2006 graduate of Barton, earned a second bachelor’s degree in clinical laboratory science. 

Gonzalez returned to Omaha, Nebraska, and has been working as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS) since 2007, specifically in the area of Microbiology and Serology.