Among Rylee Michna's favorite things: hiking, history, strawberry lemonade and gold medals

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Faces off the field gives a deep look into the thoughts and lives of high school student-athletes in the Austin area. Today we feature Taylor junior Rylee Michna, a three-time state champion whose overall record in three years is 74-1 in tennis singles.

All about Rylee: Hiking through Europe, dreaming of law school​

What has been your favorite vacation?

Oh man, I'd have to say it's when we drove to Chicago to pick up my brother from the airport. He was supposed to play in a tournament in Michigan, but couldn't get a flight. So we made the most of our time in Chicago, going on a riverboat tour, seeing the gorgeous skyline. We had a great in the little time we spent there.

Tell me something on your bucket list.

I would like to go hiking in Switzerland or in some other mountains in Europe. I want to see the different cultures, things you don't get in America. I don't want to have to worry about the phone or school. It'll be a reset for the brain.

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Tell something about you that most people don't know.

That's a good question. I have kind of a nubby (right) pinkie because the car door slammed on it when I was really young. We were all crying except for my mother, who said we all needed to get it together. My brother thought I was going to bleed out.

If you could be any superhero, who would you be?

I would say Spider-Woman or Spider-Man. I like the concept of shooting for bugs and ziplining through the city. I think he's got a good moral compass, more so than other superheroes.

What do you plan to do after high school?

I'm going to go to college and hopefully play tennis and study international studies. And go to law school someday. I want to make a lot of money and have a stable life. I want to make money so I can travel.

First three years at state tournament: gold, gold, gold​

You just won your third straight state gold medal. Did it feel different than the first two?

I felt calmer than I did in my sophomore year. I used to get stressed out or worried and would get tight. Last year I was feeling relief to win. This year was more peaceful than last year.

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Are you a perfectionist?

I put pressure on myself. I want to do good for the people around me and not so much for myself. I should play to the best of my ability and not worry about what other people might think.

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Do you ever get bored when you win matches so easily?

I have to make sure my mind doesn't drift. I have a tendency to let it wander. I wrote an essay titled "Staying in the Moment."

Dream dinner: Two from history, two from pop culture​

If you could have dinner with any four people in the history of the world, who would they be?

I'm going to say Julius Caesar, Alexander Hamilton, Stevie Nicks and Michelle Obama.

Why Alexander Hamilton?

I feel he would have a unique insight to American history. He'd know all the scandals. He even had his own scandal because he couldn't run for president because of his affair with a married woman. I learned that from the musical "Hamilton." It would be interesting to know what was going on during that time.

You're in charge of the menu. What are you serving?

First off we'll start with a strawberry lemonade from McAlister's Deli. For food we'd have garlic bread and chicken parmesan with red tomato sauce.

—Rick Cantu

Our other Austin-area tennis interviews​

Westlake's Claire Kim, Westlake's Martin Fernandez, Westlake's Harper Quale, McNeil's Suhani Rai, Westwood's Samantha Tang and Westwood's Sibi Raja

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Faces off the field: Taylor junior tennis player Rylee Michna

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