There is no doubt that the schedules of student-athletes across the nation are quite busy. The day-to-day routine of Ross Lohr, a junior co-captain on the men’s tennis team at Boston University, however is downright crazy.

"You have a lot of opportunities in college to do things you’ve never done before," said Lohr. "I didn’t want to waste that chance."

It’s safe to say that no time has been wasted by this Terrier.

If maintaining a 3.62 GPA with a double major in economics and psychology, while bolstering the Boston U. netmen’s lineup at both singles and doubles wasn’t enough, Lohr is busy getting ready for the May release of his band’s first album.

"As crazy as it sounds, I like to be that busy," said Lohr. "It’s all about being able to keep my mind in one place and focus. There are a lot of nights with very little sleep, but you just tell yourself you can do it."

A highly-touted doubles player out of Newton North High School, Lohr and his partner claimed the state doubles championship his senior year after helping the team claim the state team title the previous year.

After initially looking at small Division III schools, Lohr decided to take a chance at the Division I level as a walk-on at Boston U.

"I love Boston," said Lohr. "It’s where I grew up and I just didn’t want to leave."

Lohr made the squad and immediately contributed at the No. 2 doubles spot, posting a 12-8 record primarily with classmate Barrett Wolf, including wins in the first seven dual matches. He also got his feet wet in singles play, where he put up a respectable 7-9 mark between the fifth and sixth spots.

Once he got adjusted to the responsibilities that come with college life and being a student-athlete, Lohr realized that he needed to fulfill a burning desire.

"I played drums on and off for 13 years up through high school and spent a bunch of years trying to concentrate on both drums and tennis," said Lohr. "By the end [of high school], tennis became my main priority."

One day during his freshman year while he was thumbing through the latest edition of the Boston Phoenix, Lohr saw an ad placed by a local band that was looking for a drummer. The ad piqued his interest and upon inquiring, he auditioned, quickly fit right in, and became the beat man for the group, which was named Aloud.

Aloud performs four to eight shows a month throughout New England and the New York/New Jersey area. With its first full-length album, Leave Your Light On, coming out in May, the quartet has been busy promoting its new tracks, even getting airplay on WFNX, Boston’s premier alternative rock station.

While the demands of being in the up-and-coming band have seemingly left less time in Lohr’s schedule, they certainly haven’t had an adverse effect on his tennis game.

After the graduation of four seniors altered the look of this year’s roster, a move to the top half of the singles lineup was in order for Lohr.

"Ross has always been a top doubles player, but he really has passed his and my expectations in singles this year," said Boston U. head coach Rocky Jarvis, who took over the program just over one year ago.

Primarily playing at the No. 3 singles slot, Lohr has won 14 of his 23 matches this season.

"It’s taken a while to get adjusted to playing singles," admits Lohr. "It’s tough to get into a groove, but with the right mindset you start believing you can play with anyone."

One weekend this past fall revealed two things about the Terriers’ co-captain – his vast improvement at singles and his crazy schedule. With Boston U. competing at the UConn Invitational, Lohr and his band had shows on the nights before the first two days of the tournament in Salem and Southbridge, Mass.

With the help of his parents getting him from one venue to another, Lohr came through with an impressive performance, advancing to the finals of the C-flight singles bracket.

"Ross won four matches after drumming until 2 a.m.," said Jarvis. "I think we all were a little amazed."

Later in the fall campaign at the Cornell Indoor Invitational, Lohr made a great run through the B-flight consolation bracket, all while playing on a pair of $14 sneakers from Wal-Mart that became necessary after leaving his regular pair back in Boston.

"After I won my first consolation match, I faced a singles player from Buffalo who was definitely much better than me," said Lohr. "I’m not sure what happened, but everything seemed to come together for me and I pulled off the win."

Lohr admits the 6-3, 6-2 victory was a huge turning point for him, as it allowed him to realize what it would take to become a competitive singles player.

While watching his player become a first-rate competitor, Jarvis has also enjoyed seeing Lohr become a first-rate teammate.

"Ross really makes college tennis more of a team sport," said Jarvis. "In the middle of a lineup, you really need people who can create glue – that’s where Ross comes in."

Jarvis, who took over the Terriers in mid-season last year, credits Lohr for helping make his transition as smooth as possible.

"We had a lot of ground to make up when I got here and Ross didn’t hesitate for an instant to help me out," said Jarvis.

With the older players accustomed to the former coach, Lohr wanted to make sure Jarvis felt welcomed.

"The change in coaches was tough for a lot of guys, but we really needed to bridge the gap," said Lohr. "I made an effort to start communicating with him [Jarvis] and my teammates. Now, the team is much closer than it ever was."

"Ross can connect with a lot of people and he uses that ability to teach his teammates how to carry themselves well," said Jarvis. "He really sets the tone."

Lohr has embraced his bigger role with the team while trying not to stretch himself too thin with the responsibilities that come with being in a band with aspirations of making it big.

"I feel guilty sometimes, but it’s all about balance," said Lohr. "Everyone else in the band is out of school, so that’s their only priority. Even though it feels like I’m getting pulled in different directions, school is always my main priority."

Lohr, a 2005 America East Commissioner’s Honor Roll member, somehow maintains his high GPA while majoring in both economics and psychology.

"I started out as an economics major to keep my options open, but psychology is something I’ve always been fascinated with," said Lohr.

Ever since he decided to stay close to home and attend Boston U. , Lohr has kept his options open, always willing to take on a new challenge.

"In my 20-plus years of coaching, I’ve never been around someone as driven as Ross," said Boston U. assistant coach Cory Tusler. "He’ll take a test, drive down to New York to play a show and be ready to hit the court the next morning. It’s incredible."

His contributions to the Terriers have been immense on and off the court. Not exactly what every coach expects from a walk-on.

"When so many players at this level have already peaked, it’s pretty refreshing to see a local kid from Newton come to Boston U. and have a better career than ever thought possible." said Jarvis.