Photo by Jake McNeill Marshall’s Taylor DePover (middle) sits between her parents as she signs her collegiate letter of intent to play tennis at the Division III level for Saint Mary’s in Winona on Wednesday at Marshall High School.

MARSHALL — Taylor DePover signed her letter of intent to continue her tennis career on Wednesday morning. The Marshall senior committed to Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in Winona, a member of the Division III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

“I wanted to stay in Minnesota for sure. My family’s all here, I didn’t want to go,” DePover said of her decision, noting that Winona is still a four-hour drive from Marshall but it’s more manageable than some out-of-state options. “They’ve got a great program, they’ve got the degree I want to do, so it’ll be interesting.”

DePover said that she’ll be pursuing a degree in marketing with a minor in sports management.

“I’ve always been interested in the business side [of sports]. I take a lot of PSEO [postsecondary enrollment options] business classes and I think they’re really interesting,” DePover said. “Business is such a big thing, especially nowadays with technological advancements… and obviously being in sports my whole life, I want to do stuff with sports.”

DePover won one match in the individual section tournament as a junior in 2023 and two in the 2024 tournament as a senior before falling in the quarterfinals.

As she approaches a new level of tennis, DePover said she’s excited to face different competition and mix up her position with doubles matches after being a singles player her whole life.

When asked to reflect on her career with the Tigers, DePover said what she’ll remember most is her time with her teammates and coaches.

“I’ll be looking forward to spending time with my new coach, but [Marshall head coach Alex] Cleppe did a lot in my career,” DePover said. “I’ve been in tennis since my seventh-grade year, I met him in my sixth-grade year, and he’s been a really big factor in my life and just a big supporter. So just spending it with him and spending it with my friends were big on their own.”

At the time of print, St. Mary’s is 3-1 overall this season. They finished last year at 9-10 with their 2-8 conference record putting them ninth in the MIAC.