FGCU tennis names amoeba survivor Honorary Eagle

LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — FGCU men’s tennis has a new honorary member, and Caleb Ziegelbauer’s path to becoming an Eagle was anything but ordinary.

He was 13-years-old when he survived a rare brain-eating amoeba infection after swimming at Port Charlotte Beach Park in 2022. Four years later, he officially signed with the program through Team IMPACT, an organization that connects children facing serious illness or disability with college teams.

Ziegelbauer now attends practices and matches, where his sense of humor has quickly made him part of the team.

“Basically I’m like their cheerleader, but they haven’t given me pom-poms,” Ziegelbauer said with a smile.

His mother, Jesse, said Caleb’s initial prognosis was dire.

“The neurologist came in the room and told us that if the diagnosis was correct, that he would not be here in four days,” she said.

Years later, Caleb still has a one-liner ready.

“This is the longest four days of my life,” he said jokingly.

This week, Caleb officially signed with the team and became an Eagle.

“We’re just grateful that the tennis team took us,” Jesse Ziegelbauer said.

Now, Caleb is a regular around the program, going to practices and matches while settling into a new sport after previously playing baseball.

“It’s fun to learn a new sport,” Jesse Ziegelbauer said. “We’re struggling with this scoring.”

Jesse said they now try to warn other families about the danger of amoeba infections and the importance of keeping water out of the nose, especially with summer approaching and children spending time in warm water and splash pads.

“We’re not trying to be an alarmist, but keep your head above the water, use a nose plug, keep yourself safe,” Jesse Ziegelbauer said.