By Kalle Oakes,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – Will Boe-Wiegaard is working harder, thinking more strategically and taking his tennis more seriously this year.

Those changes in his game could hint at dramatic changes in his life.

“I’m thinking that I want to try the (professional) tour,” Boe-Wiegaard said. “So few people get that opportunity that you have to give it a shot. I thought I wanted to go to medical school. Now I realize that medical school will always be there.”

Don’t meet many guys weighing those two options, do you?

But let’s tackle first things first.

With another year of good grades and terrific tennis in his luggage, Boe-Wiegaard flew across country Wednesday to Santa Cruz, Calif., where he’ll compete in the NCAA Division III men’s singles championships this weekend.

Boe-Wiegaard, a two-time singles champion in the New England Small College Athletic Conference, is one of only 32 players invited to the tournament and the top-ranked representative from the Northeast region.

The hard-hitting junior from Georgetown, Conn., is only Bates’ third men’s tennis All-American, and both predecessors blazed a trail to the pros.

Bud Schultz, a 1981 graduate, worked his way to a top-40 world ranking. Along the way, he upset sixth-ranked Aaron Krickstein at Wimbledon. The second player to put Bates tennis on the radar screen, Paul Gastonguay, earned a world ranking in singles and doubles after winning a school-record 149 collegiate matches.

Will’ power

Gastonguay is Boe-Wiegaard’s coach and the one who unknowingly inspired him to spurn scholarship offers from Division I Wake Forest and Penn State.

“Paul is literally one of the best coaches in the world,” Boe-Wiegaard said. “It is incredibly rare to see someone of his caliber at a NESCAC school.”

The admiration is mutual.

Gastonguay has encountered many players blessed with Boe-Wiegaard’s ability who’ve either lacked the work ethic to improve or become immersed in the stereotypical college life.

“He’s always been super talented,” Gastonguay said. “This year, he’s really taken it to heart. He’s hit the weights. He’s stronger and healthier.”

When he played at Bates, Gastonguay said he never drank a beer throughout his career and was meticulous about his diet.

“I wanted to be the best I could be. Will has that same mentality,” Gastonguay said. “I’m not saying that he doesn’t relax and have a little fun once in a while, but you can see where his priorities are.”

His serve and forehand always packed a potent punch. Now, Boe-Wiegaard has the knack for turning a tennis match into a chess match, pouncing on each opponent’s weakness.

Thinking man’s tennis

Coming off a week of final exams on his pre-med track, Boe-Wiegaard absorbed his first loss in the NESCAC singles tournament in three years at the hands of Bowdoin College rival Mac Burke. He dropped a third-set tiebreaker, 8-6.

“It was just one of those days,” said Gastonguay. “Will was serving at 5-4 and 6-5, and then he was up 6-3 with three match points in the tiebreaker but couldn’t put him away.”

Three days later, in the final dual match of the regular season, Boe-Wiegaard bounced Burke 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 and beat him on the doubles side, as well.

“I’m able to play different guys in different ways,” Boe-Wiegaard said. “I have a pretty adaptable game.”

Most of his potential opponents this weekend come armed with the same credentials.

“They’re legitimate Division I players, too,” said Boe-Wiegaard. “They chose their school for academic reasons.”

After selecting Bates primarily because it promised him the best head start at becoming a doctor, Boe-Wiegaard now contemplates a different type of surgery on a show court at Wimbledon or Flushing Meadows.

Boe-Wiegaard’s immediate goal is NCAA gold, which could happen this weekend or next spring. Then he’ll try his hand at getting paid to make a racket.

“I’ve started my own business and made myself financially secure to the point where I can give it a try,” Boe-Wiegaard said. “I mean, you can travel around the world and actually make a pretty good living.”

Sure beats working. Then again, it’s the thankless grunt work that has given Boe-Wiegaard the rare opportunity to turn a passion into a payday.