Mary Washington’s David Lunding-Johansson earned All-CAC recognition and helped his team with the 2013 conference championship and an NCAA Tournament bid – all in his freshman season.  The native of Sweden is enjoying his educational opportunity and the United States, but don’t mess with his hometown hockey team!  INTRODUCING … David Lunding-Johansson.

Briefly, what is your background in the sport you play?   I started playing tennis when I was about 5 years old. Until I was 12 years old I mostly played just for fun, but at the age of 12 I started competing at a high level in Sweden. I was born in Sweden and still live there when I am not at Mary Washington so there is where it all happened. From the age of 12 until I left for the United States, I kept playing individual tournaments weekly, representing DJTK, my tennis club in Stockholm. 

What is your major in college, and what is the most important thing you learned in that discipline?   I am a Business and Economics major, and I’ve learned that the American economy is terrible.

What is your favorite spot on campus?  Definitely the Tennis Center. We have great facilities (both indoor and outdoor) and nothing beats a great day on the court.

Outside of your home and campus, where is your favorite place visit?    I like to visit the archipelagos of Stockholm. There are thousands of deserted islands and it is the most peaceful place in the world.

Briefly describe the most memorable experience during your collegiate athletic career.   I am still only a freshman, but so far it is probably our 6-3 win over our rival Washington & Lee. At that point, they were ranked one spot ahead of us. We were up after doubles and in singles, four of the six matches went to a third set, and we won three of those to clinch the match. A great team effort!   

Other than your family members, who was the most influential person in your life?   Probably my best friend from home - Oskar Lindstedt. He is a great and very hard working hockey player that maybe isn´t gifted with the greatest talent, but he has become better than most other players by training harder than everybody else. We have spent a lot of time together and he motivates me and helps me to keep the hard work up. I try to learn much from him when it comes to hard work and desire. 

What is the most important societal issue facing college students?   The most important issue is probably drugs. It is too easy to buy them it doesn´t really matter what kind of drug it is, they are all bad for you. Too many students mess up their bodies and lives by taking drugs.

If you could change any one item in the world (in your personal life, school, community, amateur or professional sports, national/international issue, etc.), what would it be, why, and how would you do it?   I can´t stand cheaters, and as we all know, some professional athletes who are not willing to work hard enough, take some short cuts. They take dope to become better than their opponents and it sort of ruins the whole purpose of hard working. So if I could change one thing about professional sports, it would definitely be to wipe out doping. I have no clue how I would do that though. 

What is your favorite form of entertainment?   I enjoy watching my Swedish hockey team play their games. I am a die-hard DIF fan and the fast game of hockey is so much fun to watch. Every period has shots, hits, goals, break-aways and fights. Something happens every second. It´s nothing like slow baseball.

If you could give one piece of advice to elementary school children, what would that advice be?   Don´t let anybody kill your dreams.

Outside of the CAC, who or what is your favorite sports person or team?   I guess I already responded to that question…. I love hockey and my Swedish team DIF!

Name three (3) people, real or fictional, living or dead, that you'd like to have dinner with?   Roger Federer, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Tom Brady. These are all top athletes in the sports they compete in. It would be amazing to share the same table with these guys and just listen to their stories about successes and failures. These three athletes all have very different backgrounds and it would be cool to hear how they all managed to reach the top.