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Blue Chip junior Katharine Fahey says that her favorite junior tennis experience was playing in the Junior Fed Cup in California last summer. She truly enjoyed the camaraderie of being on a team. Finding that camaraderie won't be a problem in her future - she is ready to announce her early college choice for Fall 2015.
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Top-20 national recruit Jess Jones let out a sigh of relief once the recruiting process was over. But the 6'1" Blue Chip from Warner Robins, Ga., was excited that he had made the right choice. Jones recently made his commitment to Coach Sam Winterbotham and the University of Tennessee Volunteers.
Johnisse Renaud is a self-proclaimed "chef on the rise." Her culinary talents take a back seat to her tennis expertise on the courts, however she has quite the recipe for success. Renaud, 17, is headed to Georgia Tech on a full scholarship to hopefully lead the Yellow Jackets back to a national tennis championship.
She has been described as a pit bull on the court, but when she sets foot on the Princeton campus this fall, she'll officially be a Tiger. Blue Chip senior Katrine Steffensen is ready to use her trademark fighting spirit to make an immediate impact on the Princeton team.
28-Jan-2014 Makarova Joins Blue Devils Blue Chip senior Christina Makarova searched near and far to find a school that was the perfect fit for her tennis and academics. In the end, the seventeen-year-old standout decided to sign with Duke University.
21-Jan-2014 McClain Kessler commits to "Dream School" in Florida When Blue Chip junior McClain Kessler looked at his options for playing college tennis, one voice helped him make an early commitment - his grandfather, Andrew "Pat" Driggers. With his grandfather's advice, Kessler was excited to make an early commitment to the University of Florida.
15-Jan-2014 Blue Chip Lebedev a Fighting Irish in 2015 Alexander Lebedev impressed college coaches with his focus, discipline, patience, skill and determination at the Boys' 16 Nationals in Kalamazoo, Mich. Among those who expressed interest in Lebedev, who is still a high school junior, was Notre Dame. A few months later, the blue chip junior from Island Park, New York, verbally committed to play for the Fighting Irish in 2015.
10-Jan-2014 What Does It Take to Be No. 1? I have known Kimberly Yee since she was seven years old. Being number one is a reoccurring theme in her life - having won the national championships and reaching the No. 1 ranking in the girls 12s, 14s, and 16s, often times in both singles and doubles. But from what her coaches, friends and family say, her greatest strengths are off the court - as a student and most importantly as a person.
1-Jan-2014 Fallia and Letzt Are Women of Troy In 2015, the Women of Troy will have two more Blue Chip tennis players who will carry on a proud tradition. Jessica Failla of Ramona, Calif., and Alexandra Letzt of Scottsdale, Ariz., will don the Cardinal and Gold as new members of the USC women's tennis team. The two girls are both juniors in high school and cannot sign the National Letter of Intent until next year. But both future collegiate stars are definitely headed to the City of the Angels.
9-Dec-2013 Aron Hiltzik Will Join His Brother on Illini Team Five star recruit Aron Hiltzik officially signed his National Letter of Intent with Illinois Coach Brad Dancer. While the news that he's joining brother Jared on the team isn't overly surprising to many, 17 year old Hiltzik put a lot of thought into the decision.
25-Nov-2013 Cassandra Vazquez Joins Tar Heels' Elite Team Cassandra Vazquez was born around the time her soccer-playing father got obsessed with playing tennis. She tagged along to the tennis courts with him, and almost 15 years later, her own passion for the sport has not only continued, it has only intensified - leading her to travel internationally playing ITF events. In the Fall of 2014, however, the 5-foot-9 righty will stay put in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to play for Coach Brian Kalbas' stellar Tar Heels squad.
16-Nov-2013 Fall Signing Week '13: South Carolina Gains Momentum with 2014 Class If there is a magic formula when it comes to college tennis recruiting, University of South Carolina head coach Josh Goffi may have found it. In less than four years at the helm of the Gamecock program, Goffi has put together ranked recruiting classes three times, including a stellar 2014 haul. Next fall the team will add a pair of Blue Chips, Thomas Mayronne and Harrison O'Keefe, plus Five-Star recruit Wood Benton.
16-Nov-2013 Fall Signing Week '13: Thai Thompson to College of Charleston During her freshman year, Thai Thompson joined her high school tennis team just so she could keep fit for soccer, her primary sport. Two weeks after joining in, she was hooked. Soccer became a distant memory, and four years into tennis, the righty has made a verbal commitment to play for the College of Charleston.
15-Nov-2013 Fall Signing Week '13: Texan John Mee Stays In-State John Mee is no stranger to Longhorn country, having grown up in Dallas and spending many tournament weekends in Austin. After a college search that took him to Illinois, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Arkansas, he has decided that Austin is where he wants to be for the next four years. Mee has committed to play for the University of Texas in 2014.
14-Nov-2013 Fall Signing Week '13: No 'Quit' in Johnson as He Heads to TCU Playing college tennis was nowhere on the mind of a 12-year old, Trevor Johnson, who was burned out. "I quit," said Johnson. "I quit from the age of 12 to 13. Then my parents saw me doing basically nothing; so they said I would have to play tennis again." Johnson immediately began putting in seven-hour days, training on and off the court, and for that, TCU Men's Head Coach David Roditi and the rest of the Horned Frogs are grateful.
14-Nov-2013 Fall Signing Week '13: Hodge Chooses Rice After 'Tough Decision' It's not unusual for teenage girls to take their time when they face a hard decision, but it can get more confusing when you are a top junior tennis player and college is staring you right in the face. Georgia's Lindsey Hodge took the time to ask many questions, but she was still flat-out confused. In the end, she liked what many schools had to offer, but one school stood out from the rest - Rice University.
14-Nov-2013 Fall Signing Week '13: Catanzariti Heads South to College Station Blue Chip A.J. Catanzariti made his official visit to Texas A&M during one of the biggest football games of the year - with the Aggies and 2012 Heisman winner Johnny Manziel hosting the national champion Alabama Crimson Tide. But by that time, the 18-year-old from Pittsburgh had already decided Texas A&M was the right choice for his path to professional tennis.
13-Nov-2013 Fall Signing Week '13: Kallenberg Headed to Harvard Nikki Kallenberg has been playing tennis since the age of five, when her mother brought her out to a local park and started feeding her tennis balls. Kallenberg has worked hard at the sport ever since, and that hard work has paid off for the Naples, Florida teenager, who recently gave her verbal commitment to attend Harvard University.
13-Nov-2013 Fall Signing Week '13: Wahoos Welcome Wiersholm On his official visit to the University of Virginia last month, Henrik Wiersholm met not only the dean of the McIntire School of Commerce but head basketball coach Tony Bennett and star guard Joe Harris. That combination typifies what the 16-year-old from Kirkland, Wash. is looking for in the college experience, as he has committed to play for the Cavaliers while preparing for a professional tennis career.
13-Nov-2013 Fall Signing Week '13: Austin is Third Gator Blue Chip It's a tough call for super-achieving USTA juniors: College tennis or the professional tour? For Brooke Austin, a 17-year-old from Indianapolis, Indiana, it was hardly a stretch to see herself as a fulltime WTA competitor. But after weighing the decision from all angles, Austin concluded that college tennis - and two-time NCAA champion Florida - would be the logical steppingstone to her dream of a professional tennis career.
11-Nov-2013 Fall Signing Week '13: Miller and Broda Pick Notre Dame Life is much more fun when you can do things with friends - even going to college. That is the case for Blue Chip recruits Allison Miller and Brooke Broda - two friends who decided to become members of the University of Notre Dame women's tennis team. Miller, from Norcross, Ga., and Broda, who hails from West Chester, Ohio, will sign their National Letters of Intent later this month, as they will become members of the Fighting Irish program next year.
6-Nov-2013 Countdown: Rodriguez Excited to Head to Louisville The allure of Louisville and the ACC was strong enough that Ariana Rodriguez didn't even need an official visit to decide her college destination. Rodriguez, a homeschooling 5-Star recruit from the Bronx, N.Y., committed this fall to the Cardinals after one unofficial trip to Bluegrass country.
5-Nov-2013 Countdown: Karim Arem to the Big Red Karim Arem's college plans have always been anchored on academics more than athletics, and he has always thought the Ivies represented the best education anywhere in the world. Cornell, however, had an unfair advantage: Arem's older brother, Mansour, is currently a junior there. Arem's brother encouraged him to contact Big Red coach Silviu Tanasoiu, and that suggestion proved to be the best advice given by one sibling to another.
2-Nov-2013 Countdown: Maize and Blue for Najarian In spring 2012, Blue Chip senior Alexandria Najarian was hospitalized with a condition that left her unable to eat, drink, or walk for several days. Once she was back home, returning to a high level of tennis was her first priority, and she earned a sixth-place finish at the USTA Hardcourt Nationals. The commitment, discipline, and positive attitude she displayed in her comeback are the qualities that earned her a spot on the Michigan women's tennis team.
30-Oct-2013 Countdown: Josie Kuhlman Stays In-State at UF Josie Kuhlman is like most young tennis players; she thought she would be a professional tennis player from the moment she first picked up a racket. Being one of the top junior players in the country and already showing promise in professional events, Kuhlman is closer to her dream than most other players. College tennis in Gainesville may bring her even closer to her goal.
29-Oct-2013 Countdown: Logan Staggs Joins the 'Cats As a small player from a small city, Logan Staggs knew he needed to employ unconventional methods to experience success in tennis. The 5-foot-7, 135-pound left-hander would need to be resourceful, persistent and extremely dedicated to overcome opponents with more physical and geographical advantages. Staggs recently celebrated another milestone along his journey when he verbally committed to play for Northwestern.
26-Oct-2013 Countdown: Hannah King Returns to Athens Hannah King was born in Athens, Georgia, yet playing tennis for the Bulldogs was by no means a certainty for the Alpharetta, Ga. resident. Two major shoulder surgeries kept her from competing most of the past two years, with continual pain testing her resolve. Only her unwavering determination to pursue the sport despite the many setbacks has led the 17-year-old high school senior back to Athens. She committed to Coach Jeff Wallace and the Georgia program just a few days ago.
24-Oct-2013 Countdown: Victor Brown Commits to the Cougars Victor Brown, a five-star recruit from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., has known which school he wanted to attend since he was a small boy. He plans to travel from California to Provo, Utah, next fall to become a member of the Brigham Young University Cougars men's tennis team. Brown will make it official next month by signing the National Letter of Intent.
23-Oct-2013 Countdown: Gabriella Castañeda Connects with FSU Like many children growing up in the tennis mecca that is South Florida, Gabriella Castañeda got an early start on her tennis career. Her father Larry, a former minor league baseball player, introduced her to the game when she was just five years old, and she's been a one-sport athlete ever since. Next fall, Castañeda will be the newest Seminole on the Florida State women's team and, well, she's pretty excited about it.
22-Oct-2013 Countdown: Baker Newman a Commodore Miami's Baker Newman pretty much knew on his visit to Vanderbilt University that it was going to be his college of choice. Newman, 17, a senior at Gulliver Prep, chose Vanderbilt from a cache of five finalists, including Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Wake Forest, Illinois, and Miami.
19-Oct-2013 Countdown: Gabrielle Smith Fights On As a longtime resident of Henderson, Nev., Gabby Smith feels fortunate she can make the four-hour drive to play a lot of her junior tennis tournaments in the USTA's highly-competitive Southern California Section. Familiarity with the greater Los Angeles area should come in handy when the talented 17-year-old begins her collegiate career at the University of Southern California next fall.
15-Oct-2013 Countdown: Brigante Keeps Open Mind, Chooses Sooners The USTA's Florida section is widely known as a tennis breeding ground where players are groomed from birth to one day enjoy a college or pro career. But don't tell Christiana Brigante. She was 14 years old when she decided to take tennis seriously, ignoring her peers' 10 year head start. In other words, this soon-to-be University of Oklahoma Sooner has not been your typical junior player.
14-Oct-2013 Countdown: Hampton Drake Enters the Tiger Den Just a few years ago, it didn't seem possible that Hampton Drake could wind up at Clemson. He wasn't ranked in the top 100 nationally, and he was raised in Columbia, S.C., as a fan of the Tigers' rival. South Carolina Gamecocks fan. But today, Drake is ranked No. 22 among high school seniors - a jump of nearly 100 spots since he was a freshman - and he's ready to sign next month with Coach Chuck McCuen and the Tigers.
9-Oct-2013 Ellyse Hamlin Makes Early Commitment to the Blue Devils Blue Chip junior Ellyse Hamlin, who sits at No. 3 on this week's Babolat Recruiting List, is one of the most sought-after recruits in the nation. Many top recruits make their college decisions during their junior year, and Hamlin is no exception. For the 16-year-old from Fairfield, Conn., the decision came down to tennis, academics, and the school environment - and the men's basketball team didn't hurt, either.
8-Oct-2013 Top Senior Peggy Porter Commits to the Gators As they say across the Gator Nation, 'it's great to be a Florida Gator', and for Peggy Porter of Dallas, those words ring especially true. Porter plans play tennis for the Gators and Coach Roland Thornqvist, and she wants to put the official touch on her commitment during the Fall signing period.
3-Oct-2013 Blue Chip Senior William Griffith Commits to Cal "There are so many great schools in California that you can't really go wrong," William Griffith said of his decision to narrow his college choices to those in his home state. The blue chip's visits to UC Berkeley, UCLA and USC reinforced this belief, but did not make his decision easier. Having been born and raised in Fresno, however, Griffith had a natural affinity for Cal. After much thought, he accepted a verbal offer from Cal Coach Peter Wright.
1-Oct-2013 Missouri's Will Little Gives Early Commitment to Baylor Saying there were many factors that went into this decision, one of the top juniors in the nation, Will Little has given an early commitment to Baylor University and head coach Matt Knoll.
27-Sep-2013 Martin Redlicki to Join Brother Michael at Duke Despite heights suitable for basketball, tennis is the sport of choice for 6-foot-8 Michael Redlicki and his younger brother Martin, who is 6-foot-5. But basketball terminology probably best describes Martin's decision to join Michael, currently a sophomore at Duke, in the fall of 2014, with the choice resembling a layup rather than a slam dunk.
26-Sep-2013 Meredith Xepoleas Commits to the Trojans Meredith Xepoleas had specific parameters for where she wanted to play college tennis. The school had to be in California, it had to have her major and it had to have coaches and teammates she enjoyed being around. After making her second visit to campus, Xepoleas determined USC best fit every criteria.
23-Sep-2013 Maia Magill Stays In-State at UCLA Maia Magill began thinking UCLA wasn't interested in recruiting her. Magill had sent several emails to the coaching staff throughout the year, but never received anything in return. But last April, UCLA head coach Stella Sampras Webster had a chance to watch Magill play doubles at The Ojai. Within a few days, Magill began the recruiting process and verbally committed to the Bruins.
17-Sep-2013 Georgia Commit Walker Duncan Has Always Bled Black and Red Like many kids that grow up in Atlanta, Walker Duncan has always been a big Georgia fan. Being one of the top junior tennis players in the land and only entering his junior year, time was on Walker's side when it came to making a college decision. Duncan talked and exchanged emails with tennis coaches from all over the country, but he wasted no time in giving a verbal commitment earlier this month to Manny Diaz and the men's tennis program at the University of Georgia.
12-Sep-2013 Christopher Eubanks is Staying In Atlanta Months before Signing Day and a year before his high school graduation, Christopher Eubanks had made his decision. Now, he's getting ready to follow through with the paperwork so he can play next year for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
5-Sep-2013 Blue Chip Grad Tyler Lu is Off to Yale Tyler Lu looked up to his big brother, Austin, and he wanted to try everything Austin did. Once Austin decided to play tennis, Tyler decided he would give it a try. Although Tyler's entry into the sport was late by typical standards, he quickly made up ground through hard work and dedication. The reward came when Tyler committed to play at Yale University. The blue chip recruit from Irvine, Ca., will begin attending classes in the fall.
23-Aug-2013 Nishimura Headed to UC Berkeley J.T. Nishimura said he can't wait to compete in college tennis. "Playing in the Pac 12 conference against schools like USC, UCLA and Stanford will be awesome," said the 17-year-old Nishimura, who recently committed to attend the University of California at Berkeley. "I love being in a team environment."
19-Aug-2013 Chase Perez-Blanco Chooses the Florida Gators Miami's Chase Perez-Blanco enjoys telling jokes, and he can stare without blinking for an hour. But when it comes to tennis, he is all business. The 17-year-old Perez-Blanco is entering his senior year at Gulliver Prep High School, and he recently committed to play college tennis for the University of Florida next fall.
18-Aug-2013 McDonald Loses at Kalamazoo, Qualifies for ATP Event in Cincy While most college freshman were meeting roommates and moving into their dorm rooms, UCLA-bound tennis player Mackenzie McDonald was making history at one of the most important professional tennis tournaments of the year. After losing at Kalamazoo, McDonald accepted a wildcard into the ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati. McDonald made the most of the opportunity, defeating No. 79 Nicolas Mahut of France and former NCAA champ Steve Johnson.
31-Jul-2013 Texas Blue Chip Grant Solomon Goes Harvard Crimson Grant Solomon reached the end of the road in his college deliberations with a regret that most prospective student-athletes would love to have: from a list of great schools, he could choose only one. Some of the top tennis programs in the country had courted the blue chip recruit from Dallas, Texas, and he saw much to like at all the schools. But in the end, the rising senior's answer was "a firm yes" for Harvard.
3-Jul-2013 Bradenton's Adam Neff Hits Paris with Longines Junior Tennis Aces Adam Neff, the top nationally ranked player in the Boys' 12 and under, had the opportunity to spend his birthday in Paris, courtesy of Longines. While the trip didn't turn out the way he had hoped, it was an experience to remember.
20-Apr-2013 Spring Signing Week '13: Connor Kudrick to Wingate Connor Kudrick will attend college halfway across the country in large part because it reminds him of what he loves about home. Kudrick, a 3-Star recruit from the Houston suburb of Spring, Texas, has signed with Wingate University in North Carolina, a rising NCAA Division II program.
20-Apr-2013 Spring Signing Week '13: Katie Carlson Picks Christopher Newport The website of Christopher Newport University has a catchy slogan directed at incoming students: "Get ready to set sail on your journey to becoming a Captain at CNU!" Katie Carlson, a three-star recruit, will sail from Omaha, Neb. to Newport News, Va. in the fall and become a member of the Christopher Newport Captains women's tennis team.
19-Apr-2013 Spring Signing Week '13: Dave Bacalla to Valpo Illinois native Dave Bacalla won't be going far when he starts college next fall. He has decided to stay in the Midwest and play for the Valparaiso Crusaders in Indiana.
19-Apr-2013 Spring Signing Week '13: Aidan Talcott Decides on Denver Aidan Talcott enjoys making short comedy videos as a hobby, but when it comes to tennis, he's very serious. Talcott, 17, of Sea Cliff, New York, recently decided on the University of Denver as his college destination after weighing offers from several top schools.
18-Apr-2013 Spring Signing Week '13: Ware Works Through Injury to BYU An old proverb says that out of something bad comes something good. Thousand Oaks (California) High senior Savannah Ware knows that all too well - she was sidelined for her junior year of high school with a shoulder injury. That was a time when junior players were catching the eyes of college coaches. But all worked out for Ware - who has committed to Brigham Young University.
17-Apr-2013 Spring Signing Week '13: Arizona's Bhat Heads to Albuquerque's Lobos Rachana Bhat's tennis goals have always been simple: try to win as many matches as possible, never dwell on the past, and keep focused on the future and the opportunities it presents. Playing for the sheer joy of competition and pushing herself in every match certainly has paid off - she developed skills, habits, discipline and an unrelenting will to overcome her opponents. These are among the reasons New Mexico signed her to a National Letter of Intent.
17-Apr-2013 Spring Signing Week '13: Jarryd Woog Stays Home Every tennis player is taught that hard work will be rewarded. When Jarryd Woog was 16, he took some time off to decide if he still believed that. After months of soul searching, Woog reestablished himself as a Top 10 player in the South. Today, he will sign an NLI with the University of Memphis.
17-Apr-2013 Spring Signing Week '13: Hudson Commits to Arkansas Shannon Hudson of Virginia Beach is shorter than almost all of her opponents, but she was tall enough to see a red flag on the horizon. Figuratively speaking, that flag waved prominently enough to prompt Hudson to change her Southeastern Conference destination. Hudson, a Blue Chip recruit at just 5 feet tall, first committed to Tennessee. But she changed her mind and cast her lot with the Arkansas Razorbacks.
16-Apr-2013 Spring Signing Week '13: Cardinal Direction for Lederman Roy Lederman didn't make the Stanford coaches work very hard to secure his commitment. Stanford had been Lederman's dream school since he was in the sixth grade. The blue chip recruit from Miami didn't even need to make an official visit to the Bay Area before telling Stanford head coach John Whitlinger he wanted to join the program.
15-Apr-2013 Spring Signing Week '13: Dailey Takes Unique Path to SEC The road to a college tennis scholarship is usually paved with USTA tournaments, Tennis Recruiting "stars," and national rankings. Try telling that to University of South Carolina signee Caroline Dailey. The Sarasota native's unorthodox approach to her junior tennis career included over a year spent playing on the ITF Pro Circuit and a conspicuous absence from the premier USTA events.
11-Apr-2013 Countdown: Liza Fieldsend Joins the Pack It's not surprising that Liza Fieldsend is a pretty good tennis player. Her brother and mother both played college tennis, her father is president of the John Newcombe Tennis Academy, and her godfather, John, won Wimbledon three times. That would be John Newcombe, of course. Fieldsend, a 5-Star senior, has signed with N.C. State for next fall.
10-Apr-2013 Countdown: Bush headed to Wash U in St. Louis Jeremy Bush called his college destination his "perfect choice." Bush, who turned 18 in February, is headed to Washington University in St. Louis. "It was the perfect choice for me," said Bush, a senior at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. "They have one of the best Division III teams in the country, and I thought that I would possibly be able to help the team win a national championship.
9-Apr-2013 Countdown: UConn Snags Five-star Alderman After winning the high school state championship in Mass. as a freshman, Emma Alderman faced a dilemna - should she continue to play high school tennis and defend her title, or does she move on and try to make her mark on the national stage? Alderman chose the latter, and with her five-star rating, she is one of the highest-ranked recruit that UConn has ever attracted.
4-Apr-2013 Countdown: Donovan Credits Kid's Day for Inspiration Benjamin Donovan credits a chance meeting with former U.S. Open finalist and former top-5 ATP pro Todd Martin and the frenzy of Arthur Ashe Kid's Day at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in with being enough to make tennis his priority when he was a young junior player. All grown up, the five-star recruit has committed to play college tennis next fall at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.
3-Apr-2013 Countdown: Megan McCray to Oklahoma State The Oklahoma State women's tennis coaches thought they had a hidden gem in Megan McCray. But after McCray embarked on a strong run at the USTA Girls 18 Nationals in San Diego last summer, they began to worry McCray was no longer flying under the radar. But McCray visited Stillwater and fell in love with the program, and last fall she signed her letter of intent to become a Cowgirl.
29-Mar-2013 Countdown: Oosterbaan Heads South to Georgia Looking up isn't something 6-foot-8 blue chip Paul Oosterbaan does often, at least literally. But when the 17-year-old verbally committed to the University of Georgia, he had two even taller national champions serving as inspirations: 6-foot-9 John Isner, who led Georgia to the NCAA team title in 2007, and his 6-foot-10 father J.P., a member of the University of Michigan's 1989 NCAA National Championship basketball team.
28-Mar-2013 Countdown: Chiu Heads East to Columbia Holding the No. 16 ranking in California and the Southwest speaks volumes for 5-Star recruit William Chiu's talent. The senior from Rancho Bernardo HS in San Diego is producing some of the best tennis of his junior career, and he has now risen to No. 58 in the nation. Next fall, the senior will head to New York City and Columbia University to join the Lions' tennis team.
26-Mar-2013 Countdown: Despite Late Start, Mitrache Ready for WSU While most junior players were picking up a racquet for the first time, five-year-old Andreea Mitrache was just setting foot on American soil after a long trek from her native Romania. Mitrache didn't start playing until she was 12 years old, entering her first tournament at 14 - advanced age by tennis standards. But the late start didn't hurt much - the left-handed Mitrache has committed to play college tennis at Wayne State University.
19-Mar-2013 Countdown: Brendan McClain to Boise State Californian Brendan McClain, who began playing tennis at age 2 and excelled at the junior level, was very thorough in exploring his college options. The blue-chip recruit seriously considered Arizona and LSU before signing with Boise State University. Now that the process is over and he has chosen the Broncos, McClain is looking forward to the future.
15-Mar-2013 Liang Wins Talbert Award, Looks Ahead to Harvard Spencer Liang was recently named one of the four national winners of the 2012 USTA Bill Talbert Junior Sportsmanship Award, an honor that signifies how she's matured during her junior career. Next year, the blue chip senior will take her talents to Cambridge, Mass., and compete for the Harvard Crimson.
24-Jan-2013 Paladin Pride: Karlee Bryde Signs with Furman For four-star Karlee Bryde, tennis has been means of self-discovery and of strengthening family ties. Over a decade after she began playing tennis, the sport once again offered up another opportunity - a scholarship to Furman University.
11-Jan-2013 Doyle Commits to Cardinal Sixteen-year-old Caroline Doyle was born and raised in San Francisco, so it's no surprise Stanford University was at the top of her list when she began considering college tennis programs. She had visited the Palo Alto campus many times while attending her cousin's volleyball games, struck each time by its pastoral beauty.
18-Nov-2012 Fall Signing Week '12: Thoroughbreds Join SMU Mustangs Stable Anna Kate Anderson, Macie Elliott, and Mary Elizabeth Wright marked November 2012 as a double milestone in their young lives. Not only was it the first time for each to cast her ballot for the presidential elections, it was also the month that each affixed her signature to a National Letter of Intent to play for Head Coach Kati Gyulai's Southern Methodist University Lady Mustangs.
17-Nov-2012 Fall Signing Week '12: Alanna Wolff Heads to Princeton Alanna Wolff is at home with her college tennis destination - both literally and figuratively. Wolff, who lives in Perth Amboy, New Jersey was born in Princeton; used to practice there when she was little, and won her first tournament there, so it seems fitting that she will attend college at Princeton University.
17-Nov-2012 Fall Signing Week '12: Zieba Chooses 'Home-Court' Advantage Making the move to college tennis shouldn't be too much of a challenge for Konrad Zieba. Not geographically, at least. The Blue-Chip senior from Glenview, Ill., should feel right at home when he travels 10 miles down the road to take his place on the Northwestern Wildcats tennis team next year.
16-Nov-2012 Fall Signing Week '12: McCord Chooses the Aggies Junior tennis players make choices on the court all the time. San Diego's Jana McCord has made all those decisions, but she had trouble wrestling with the choice of where to attend college. She eventually narrowed her list, and as she explored her options with more scrutiny the blue-chip recruit became convinced Texas A&M was the best fit.
16-Nov-2012 Fall Signing Week '12: Elliott Orkin Joins Lipman in Gainesville Remember the Titans is an inspirational movie about a new coach trying to work towards a championship. Elliott Orkin, the top recruit from the state of Georgia, is hoping to help write such a story at the University of Florida. Orkin is the third highly-regarded recruit to commit to the Gators this fall.
15-Nov-2012 Fall Signing Week '12: Luca Corinteli Chooses Wahoos The University of Virginia men's tennis team's recruiting is coming up big - literally as well as figuratively. 6'4" Luca Corinteli recently became the latest Blue Chip prospect to commit to Coach Brian Boland's Cavaliers. Tennisrecruiting.net ranks him 17th in the nation and first in the Mid-Atlantic Section among the senior Class of 2013.
15-Nov-2012 Fall Signing Week '12: Georgia a Perfect Fit for King When Mia King made a last minute trip from her home in Cornelius, North Carolina, to the University of Georgia campus in Athens last spring, she had no idea what to expect. King's friend and UGA freshman, Lauren Herring, had begged her to come watch the team's dual match against fellow SEC school, Florida. As it turns out, King (and her father) fell in love with the place.
15-Nov-2012 Fall Signing Week '12: Lipman Commits to the Gators Hiring Bryan Shelton as head coach paid off quickly for the University of Florida. Maxx Lipman, a former No. 1-ranked junior player from Brentwood, Tenn., wasn't thinking about Florida until June, when Shelton - who led the Georgia Tech women's team to an NCAA title in 2007 - got the job and quickly reached out to Lipman to see if he still had a chance. Five months later, Lipman is committing to the Gators.
14-Nov-2012 Fall Signing Week '12: Taylor Davidson Commits to the Cardinal The Stanford Cardinal women's tennis team has landed one of the premier recruits in the nation. Blue Chip senior Taylor Davidson has committed to the storied Stanford program, winners of 16 NCAA Division I Women's Team Championships. Davidson, from Statesville, N.C., plans to sign the National Letter of Intent during Signing Week.
14-Nov-2012 Fall Signing Week '12: Goldhoff is Hooked by the 'Horns After his infamous trip to the finals of the Boys' 18 Clay Court Championships in July, George Goldhoff's phone started ringing early and often. Many top college coaches wanted to talk to the 17-year-old senior from Irvine, Calif. In the end, Goldhoff decided to head to Austin, Texas.
14-Nov-2012 Fall Signing Week '12: Jamie Loeb to Wear Carolina Blue Jamie Loeb's consistent placing in the top five of the recruiting rankings is not something anyone has ever questioned. She's been looked at as a blue chip recruit even before she was officially given that label and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels will happily welcome her onto their team next fall.
12-Nov-2012 Fall Signing Week '12: UCLA Bruins Strengthen Roster It's been seven years since the UCLA men won the NCAA Division I Team Championship, and they are looking to dethrone Pac-12 rival USC, who have won the last four titles. The Bruins have taken a step closer to this goal with the commitments of three Blue Chip recruits to the 2013-14 team.
8-Nov-2012 Countdown: FSU Loads Up In-State Recruits Jake Albo, Grayson Goldin, Jose Gracia, Jr. and Jack Haffey have long battled it out on the tennis courts as junior tennis players in the state of Florida. Starting next season, they will no longer be rivals as they hit the courts as members of the Florida State University men's tennis team.
6-Nov-2012 Countdown: Rochin Stays In-State at Northern Arizona Hailey Rochin's first experience at a national tournament didn't end well. She told her mother she would never be good enough to compete at that level. But Rochin's mother said it was possible; she would just have to keep practicing. After following her mother's advice, Rochin was not only good enough to compete at the national level - she was good enough to earn a tennis scholarship at Northern Arizona.
5-Nov-2012 Countdown: Kwiatkowski Decides The question wasn't so much where Thai-Son Kwiatkowski would go to college, but whether he would go. The Blue Chip recruit from Charlotte, N.C., said he has played tennis as long as he can remember and wants to reach its highest level - the ATP Tour. But that path will now include some time in the college ranks, as the highly-coveted announces his decision.
5-Nov-2012 Countdown: Damon Niquet Heads to the Tribe Three-time Wisconsin state champion Damon Niquet took a couple of visits to Williamsburg, Virginia, and he saw all that he needed to see. Niquet recently made a verbal commitment to head coach Peter Daub and William & Mary to join the Tribe Tennis Team in Fall 2013.
1-Nov-2012 Countdown: Claire Williams to Texas Tech Claire Williams, a four-star recruit, will travel the 200 miles from San Angelo, Texas, to Lubbock and become a member of the Texas Tech Red Raiders women's tennis team next fall.
30-Oct-2012 Countdown: Hamilton Likes Tennis, Surf at UCSB As a rising junior tennis player in Southern California and avid surfer, Teague Hamilton had a slightly different mind-set when exploring his college options. So it came as no surprise at all when the Laguna Beach, Calif., resident chose a school where he could do both. UC Santa Barbara ended up being a perfect fit.
29-Oct-2012 Countdown: Madeline Lipp Chooses Northwestern Maddie Lipp rarely takes many things for granted. She realizes how fortunate she is to play tennis and earn a college scholarship, and she will carry that attitude with her when she arrives at Northwestern next fall. The blue chip recruit committed to play for the Wildcats last spring.
23-Oct-2012 Countdown: Wake Forest Scores Trio of Stellar Recruits On a stormy Saturday in early September, three high school tennis players were among the horde of screaming Wake Forest fans watching the Demon Deacons defeat North Carolina in football. Not long after, Samantha Asch, Kimmy Guerin, and Luisa Fernandez - all on official visits of Head Tennis Coach Jeff Wyshner - made verbal commitments to WFU for Fall 2013.
22-Oct-2012 Countdown: Goldberg Set to Plant Cardinal Roots When the time came for Yale Goldberg to decide on a college tennis program for the 2013 season, he considered schools in the Ivy League, Northwestern, Stanford, Lehigh and his hometown-favorite Ohio State. It was a tough decision, but in the end, it didn't take long for the sunny skies of Palo Alto, Calif., to tip the scales.
16-Oct-2012 Countdown: Schafer Selects the Gamecocks Blue Chip senior Andrew Schafer, a South Carolina high school state champion, will follow play college tennis next fall at the University of South Carolina. The Eddie Herr finalist plans to sign a National Letter of Intent with the Gamecocks in November.
15-Oct-2012 Countdown: Narcissa Summerall Goes with Big Green Ever since she was a little girl, Narcissa "Narni" Summerall has wanted to attend Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. In the fall, Narni plans to fulfill her longtime wish to attend the ninth-oldest university in the nation as a member of the Big Green women's tennis team. Narni, a five-star recruit, has given a verbal commitment to Dartmouth coach Bob Dallis.
10-Sep-2012 Sherry Thomas, a Mother with a Mission When DJ Thomas was a toddler, his fingers clung tightly to the fence as he enviously watched his sisters hit tennis balls. "Mama, I want to do that," said the youngster. "No, little boys don't play tennis," said his mother, who thought DJ would gravitate to football and basketball like her late husband. DJ, however, has proven to his mother that yes, little boys do play tennis, and that they can get really, really good at it.
7-Sep-2012 Following a Family Tradition, Robbie Bellamy Commits to USC Robbie Bellamy has been steadily climbing the rankings over the past two years, and that rise had not gone unnoticed by coaches. After sorting through the incoming calls, the reigning 18s champion of USTA/SoCal narrowed his choices down to two: top-ranked USC or third-ranked UCLA. Bellamy ultimately committed to the reigning four-time NCAA champion Trojans.
27-Aug-2012 Blair Shankle is a 2013 Baylor Lady Bear World traveler and Blue Chip recruit Blair Shankle's family ties are so tightly knit and deeply rooted in her native state that when the time came for her to choose a college, they played a huge factor, along with academics and athletics. Baylor University, two hours from where the Shankle clan lives, fit the bill to a T and received Shankle's early verbal commitment.
21-Aug-2012 TJ Pura Picks Blue Devils Blue Chip Thomas (TJ) Pura has decided to stick with the color that suits him and will be heading to the Duke Blue Devils next fall. While Pura still has to make it official with the signing of a letter of intent in November, he was seen in Kalamazoo sporting a Duke hat.
27-Jun-2012 Rubin Conquers Clay and Gets Ready for Grass Noah Rubin has earned his place at the top of the rankings. The 16-year-old phenom from Long Island, N.Y., ranked 14th among juniors internationally, reached the quarterfinals of the French Open Juniors. This week, he has his sights set on Wimbledon.
20-Jun-2012 Page Heading to Orange and Blue Just as they get ready to host the next NCAA Division I Championships, the Fighting Illini also secured the No. 6 position of the Men's Recruiting Class rankings with the addition of Blue Chip Brian Page, Jr.
30-May-2012 Makenzie Craft is Gone to the Dawgs With her sister off to college in the fall, Makenzie Craft's motivation to pursue her own college plans intensified. She visited a host of schools, but none of them felt right. Upon the suggestion of her coach, she went south to Athens, Ga., and she found what she was looking for. Craft recently signed with the University of Georgia for Fall 2012, a year earlier than her class.
24-Apr-2012 Keegan Commits to Gator Tennis When you have some of the most notable and highly respected women's tennis programs bidding to sign you to their squad, it can be a tough and overwhelming decision. For Kourtney Keegan, a junior Blue Chip player from Roswell, Ga., the decision between schools like Notre Dame, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, UCLA, Michigan, Northwestern and Georgia Tech was exactly that.
12-Apr-2012 Spring Signing Week '12: Zhang Heads to the Maroons Gordon Zhang won't have much of a commute when he goes home from college for the holidays. The Lisle, Illinois, native has decided to stay close by and play for the University of Chicago.
11-Apr-2012 Spring Signing Week '12: Mary Meyers Flies with the Falcons In an application process that took about six months to complete, Mary Meyers breathed a sigh of relief when she turned in her completed papers to the Air Force Academy in February. A few weeks later, when Coach Kim Gidley called to say that she had been accepted, Meyers was left almost speechless.
11-Apr-2012 Spring Signing Week '12: On the Court with Connor Clements While other players were developing higher rankings, Connor Clements was developing his tennis skills. While other players were studying in public or private school, Clements was studying online. Years later, the rankings reflect how well the road less traveled seems likely to get Clements to a favorable college destination.
11-Apr-2012 Spring Signing Week '12: Chi Goes West to Join Bears It's not often a Floridian cites weather as a reason for relocating, but blue chip senior Lynn Chi offers that as one of many reasons she will be signing a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of California-Berkeley this fall.
10-Apr-2012 Spring Signing Week '12: Henry Craig Heads to Denver If not for a sign alongside the road, who knows if Henry Craig would have ever discovered tennis. Driving home from school one day seven years ago, Henry's father spotted an advertisement for tennis lessons posted on a pole. Fast forward to this year, where the Murrieta, Calif., native has signed to play college tennis at the University of Denver.
9-Apr-2012 Spring Signing Week '12: Maggy Lehmicke Picks Nebraska In spite of a relatively late start in the demanding world of tournament tennis, Maggy Lehmicke is listed as a five-star recruit by TennisRecruiting.net. Ranked No. 2 in the Northwest and the state of Washington, Maggy has signed a national letter of intent with the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
9-Apr-2012 Spring Signing Week '12: Austin Siegel Chooses the Cardinals Whether it be training at the Bill Adams International Tennis Academy, earning a significant victory in Florida or playing a tournament in another continent, Austin Siegel is getting a world of experience as he gets ready to move from the upper echelons of junior tennis to Division I college competition.
6-Apr-2012 Countdown: Alexandra Landert Picks Seton Hall Alexandra Landert's journey began in 1993 when the future five-star tennis recruit was born in Zurich, Switzerland. The next stop for Alex will be South Orange, N.J., when she becomes a member of the Seton Hall Pirates women's tennis team in the fall.
5-Apr-2012 Countdown: Husky fan Barnhart joins his Dream Team Hudson Barnhart had long wanted to be part of Coach Matt Anger's Washington Huskies Squad, and in the fall signing season, Barnhart finally fulfilled that goal and became the first U-Dub signee for 2012-13.
4-Apr-2012 Countdown: Tanenbaum Selects Big Red As one of the nation's best players, Dena Tanenbaum of Manasquan, N.J., enjoyed plenty of collegiate options. When she went to Ithaca, N.Y., and saw red - Big Red - she was sold. Tanenbaum, a five-star recruit, has committed to play for Cornell University in the prestigious Ivy League.
29-Mar-2012 Countdown: Klein Rides High with the Mustangs Derek Klein figured Cal Poly was not an option for his college tennis career when his letters and emails went unanswered. But once Nick Carless became the new coach, he contacted Klein, and "Cal Poly became my top choice."
28-Mar-2012 Countdown: Beatrice Rosen to Emory California native Beatrice Rosen is the highest-ranked player in the signing class of Atlanta's Emory University and one of the most improved players in the country over the past year. The story behind her rapid ascent is one of hard work - but is also the result of one gutsy decision.
27-Mar-2012 Countdown: Patrick Heads to Hawkeyes As a five star recruit, Dominic Patrick had quite a few schools interested in him. The 18 year old has checked his favorites out and made the decision to play for the Iowa Hawkeyes starting this fall.
22-Mar-2012 Countdown: Kitchen Commits to the Terps Many important people occasionally leave business hotbeds to travel to vacation spots. But with Five-Star recruit Ashley Kitchen, it will be the opposite. Kitchen, who grew up on picturesque Hilton Head Island, has committed to play for the University of Maryland.
21-Mar-2012 Countdown: Brendan Aguilar Chooses the Runnin' Rebels Brendan Aguilar's commitment to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas meant much more than it would to the average tennis player. Not only did it secure Aguilar's dream of playing college tennis, it ensured he would be the first in his family to attend college.
15-Mar-2012 No. 1 Schneider Commits to North Carolina for 2013 Ronnie Schneider, the top recruit in the class of 2013, had 24 colleges on his list when he started working through the process during his sophomore year. After winning the 16s title in Kalamazoo last August, that list was whittled down to 10, and last month there was just one school remaining - North Carolina, which has received Schneider's verbal commitment.
14-Mar-2012 Countdown: Anna Mamalat Chooses Texas A&M Anna Mamalat, a junior player with a world of competitive experience, has signed a letter of intent with Texas A&M University. The Blue Chip recruit from Philadelphia inked with the Aggies last October, and she plans to travel to College Station in August.
13-Mar-2012 Countdown: Trinh Roars with the LSU Tigers Tam Trinh sported a white LSU cap to his first Kalamazoo Championship in 2010, when he and his partner went on a magical run as the first unseeded team in 25 years to win the 16s doubles title. In fall 2011, the five-star Trinh made his intentions official with the Tigers by signing a National Letter of Intent to play for Louisiana State University.
29-Feb-2012 Top 2013 Prospect Edward Covalschi Picks Notre Dame With college tennis as the logical denouement of his stellar USTA career, Blue Chip Edward Covalschi started looking at his options midway through his junior year of high school. He whittled down the list to his top choices: Ohio, Michigan, Cornell, Illinois, and Notre Dame. In the end, the myth and magic of the shillelagh-wielding Leprechaun and the Fighting Irish won him over.
9-Jan-2012 Top 2013 Prospect Nick Wood Chooses Georgia Late in the summer, after Nick Wood was sidelined with a stress fracture in his elbow that required surgery, he decided to use the down time to get his college search out of the way. Applying the same work ethic that has propelled him to TRN's elite Blue Chip ranks, Wood took unofficial visits and narrowed his candidates to a pair of SEC rivals: Tennessee and Georgia. Ultimately, Georgia captured his heart.
5-Dec-2011 Courtney Amos to Yale Eighteen-year-old Courtney Amos had her heart set on the Ivy League. By the end of an official visit to Yale University in September, the five-star recruit from Tucson, Arizona, had found her college home.
21-Nov-2011 Alex Jesse Joins the Illini Alex Jesse will be staying in the Midwest and joining the Fighting Illini tennis team next fall. The Blue Chip recruit had a number of options since he has been consistently at top of the national rankings over the last few years. It has all been a result of his solid tournament play in both singles and doubles.
13-Nov-2011 Fall Signing Week '11: Kathryn Hoch Heads to Wisconsin Kathryn Hoch doesn't expect to be surprised by many of the gifts she receives on Christmas Day this year. Since she has committed to play at the University of Wisconsin, the five-star recruit knows exactly what is waiting for her under the tree. "My parents are buying me parkas, blankets and every color of Uggs possible," Hoch said. "I need to stock up on the warm clothing."
12-Nov-2011 Fall Signing Week '11: Watson Heads to the Swamp Gordon Watson enjoys sun, surf and skeet shooting and he will parlay it into a college tennis career at the University of Florida. I loved [Coach Jackson], campus and players, and it felt like home," said Watson, who is ranked 12th nationally, fifth in the southeast and third in Florida. "I really loved the other schools on my list, but I realized that I wanted to continue my training in Florida after my visits."
11-Nov-2011 Fall Signing Week '11: Becker O'Shaughnessey to Alabama Becker O'Shaughnessey was born and raised in the South. And now, just as he had planned it, that's where he'll play his college tennis starting next fall. After a search that came down to four schools - Alabama, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and N.C. State - the five-star recruit from Macon, Georgia, is poised to sign a national letter of intent to play for the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, just four hours from his home.
11-Nov-2011 Fall Signing Week '11: Elbaba Commits to UVa Julia Elbaba has certainly earned her Blue Chip status. Her results have given her a top ten position in the Babolat rankings. With all this success came quite a few college tennis opportunities for the petite 17 year old, and she took her time weighing her decision. Just this week, Elbaba finally made her decision to join the Virginia Cavaliers.
11-Nov-2011 Fall Signing Week '11: Kurey to the Jackets Megan Kurey, the 22nd-ranked senior prospect from Alpharetta, Ga., is the final commitment in Georgia Tech's highly ranked women's recruiting class. Kurey joins three other highly-ranked senior prospects for Tech coach Bryan Shelton in Atlanta for 2012.
10-Nov-2011 Fall Signing Week '11: Stephanie Nauta is Charlottesville-Bound Stephanie Nauta has always been inspired by a single goal - to be a professional tennis player. But she is cautious about jumping to the pro ranks too quickly. "I see that I need to get stronger and have a lot to improve on," said the blue chip senior. Nauta's decision to sign an NLI with Virginia next fall is the latest triumph for advocates of college tennis as a worthy training ground for aspiring touring professionals.
10-Nov-2011 Fall Signing Week '11: Mays to the Demon Deacons The Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's tennis team will have a new weapon in its arsenal next season. That weapon is Blue Chip recruit Morgan Mays, a hard-hitting, aggressive, and generally pumped-up, high-energy young man who will bring fresh enthusiasm to the Winston-Salem, N.C., campus.
10-Nov-2011 Fall Signing Week '11: Muliawan Heads to Princeton Many players scan the top 25 rankings before selecting what colleges they might want to attend. Blue chip senior Amanda Muliawan did the same, only the rankings she checked were those found in the "U.S. News & World Report." And once the Wyckoff, N.J., resident visited the Princeton campus, the choice became a no brainer. She wanted to be a Tiger.
9-Nov-2011 Fall Signing Week '11: Vinsant an Aggie Shane Vinsant wanted to have his college decision made a few months ago. But the blue chip recruit from Texas knew it was something he couldn't take lightly. He knew how important it was for his future. He wanted to make a good choice from several strong options, but that kind of decision can weigh heavily over time. Vinsant has been feeling a little lighter these days since deciding that Texas A&M is the place for him.
9-Nov-2011 Fall Signing Week '11: Top Recruit Hardebeck Chooses Stanford Blue chip recruit Krista Hardebeck has faced several tough choices in her life. A devoted piano student, she wasn't able to continue her quest for mastery of that instrument when she began to find success on the tennis court. Choosing between UCLA and Stanford also proved difficult, but in the end, what she calls her "lifelong dream" to play for Stanford won out, and she plans to sign a national letter of intent to compete for the Cardinal.
9-Nov-2011 Fall Signing Week '11: Redlicki Chooses the Devils It was the sort of streak that most tennis players can only imagine. For 30 matches during the summer of 2010, Michael Redlicki was untouchable, powering his way to prestigious titles at the Claycourts and Hardcourts. That breakout run opened many doors for the big lefty from Illinois, and college coaches started calling. Now, Redlicki is poised to take the next step in his tennis journey and sign an NLI with Duke University.
8-Nov-2011 Fall Signing Week '11: Elaina Cummer Picks Davidson The next stop for Elaina Cummer is Davidson, N.C. The five-star recruit has committed to become a member of the Davidson College Wildcats tennis team. "[The coaches] are a great pair," said Cummer. "They seem to be genuinely interested in the girls on the team, and very intent on getting the best possible results. The girls on the team are welcoming, fun, and easy to be around."
7-Nov-2011 Fall Signing Week '11: James Boyd a USD Torrero James Boyd thought he wanted to go far away from home for college. He thought it would be easier to exert his independence in a new area of the country. But Boyd eventually discovered there was a diamond located right in his own backyard. The Rancho Santa Fe resident couldn't pass up the chance to play for the University of San Diego.
7-Nov-2011 Fall Signing Week '11: Li Stays in New Jersey for Rutgers Gina Li's search for the right college team led her across the Northeast, but she ended up landing back in New Jersey at Rutgers University, an NCAA Division I school. The coaching staff, proximity to home, and academic reputation of Rutgers convinced the seventeen-year-old Li to become a Scarlet Knight.
5-Nov-2011 Countdown: Brooke McAmis a True Maroon Cougar As she began her college search, Brooke McAmis was told by a good friend that "when you visit a school, you'll just know." And when she went to the historic College of Charleston, she knew. It was love at first sight for the five-star athlete and she has decided to make an early commitment.
4-Nov-2011 Countdown: Garrett Gordon Looks to Improve at Georgia Tech Garrett Gordon's tip to junior players looking to play college tennis is not to worry about things you can't control, but he admits he struggled with his own advice last summer. Earlier this year, worried about college, he lost twice to unseeded to players in Southern tournaments. Then, after committing to Georgia Tech, Gordon went off to Kalamazoo for the Nationals and knocked off two Blue Chip opponents.
2-Nov-2011 Countdown: Van Cott Twins to Tulane Twins Alexander and Ian Van Cott began their search for a college tennis home with a simple stipulation: They were going someplace warm and sunny. The 5-star recruits from Unadilla, New York, recently took a major step toward their shared goal of playing college tennis on warm, sun-splashed days by verbally committing to attend Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1-Nov-2011 Countdown: Blue Chip prospect Vrabel reflects on commitment to Notre Dame On the rare occasion when she isn't playing tennis or studying, Blue Chip recruit Julie Vrabel enjoys art. Don't be surprised if she draws some four-leaf clovers in the next few years to display her new school spirit. Vrabel has committed to attend Notre Dame in August and play for the defending Big East Conference champion Irish.
31-Oct-2011 Countdown: Nicholas Naumann Picks Texas Nick Naumann has decided to don the Burnt Orange and become a Texas Longhorn when he signs the National Letter of Intent in November. He chose Texas without making an official visit, but he planned to make the trip in late October.
28-Oct-2011 Countdown: Zach Mueck Heads to the Musketeers Five star recruit Zach Mueck has chosen to stay in his native Ohio and play for the Xavier Musketeers. The West Chester native won't have far to travel to the Cincinnati school, which is part of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
27-Oct-2011 Countdown: World Traveler Krueger Looks Close to Home for College Blue chip recruit Mitchell Krueger has seen the world the past two years, traveling to Malaysia, Australia and throughout Europe to compete against top competition on the ITF junior circuit. Yet in selecting a college, the 17-year-old from Aledo, Texas has narrowed his choices to three schools close to home: Oklahoma, Texas A&M and TCU.
26-Oct-2011 Countdown: Watrous Heads to Colorado Mazy Watrous, a resident of Newport Beach, California, has verbally committed to the University of Colorado. Playing for the Buffaloes will give her the chance to play against some of the top players in the nation since they joined the Pacific-12 Conference. "Having an opportunity to go to CU and do something for that team would be so rewarding," said Watrous. "I feel like it's a pivotal time for CU and I really want to help make a difference."
24-Oct-2011 Countdown: Rinaldi Commits to the Seminoles The Florida State men's coaching staff didn't have to pull out all the bells and whistles while recruiting Michael Rinaldi. Rinaldi wanted to stay close to home - and decided that FSU was the best option. Once Coach Hultquist called and made him an offer, his answer was easy.
19-Oct-2011 Countdown: Fotopoulos Commits to Lady Vols Mimi Fotopoulos had one thing on her mind after committing to play for the University of Tennessee. She wanted to spruce up her wardrobe with a bright shade of orange. The Lady Vols are hoping to reap even bigger dividends from Fotopoulos on the court once she arrives in Knoxville for good next Fall.
18-Oct-2011 Countdown: Alves to the Gauchos Matthew Alves finally succumbed to the peer pressure. During Alves' college search, some of his friends and family members were pushing him to consider attending UC Santa Barbara. He took a visit and had a "perfect weekend" - enjoying the location, team, and tennis facilities. Alves is happy to have committed to UCSB - and he is looking forward to his future with the Gauchos.
11-Oct-2011 Countdown: Kyle McPhillips heads West to UCLA Kyle McPhillips can hardly wait to hit the courts in sunny Southern California as a UCLA Bruin freshman next fall. In fact, the blue-chip recruit from the Cleveland suburb of Willoughby, Ohio, is already packing her suitcase in her mind's eye.
10-Oct-2011 Countdown: Willenborg Headed to Penn Athleticism runs in the Willenborg family. Blaine Willenborg is the latest member of the family to make his mark in the tennis world and has committed to attend the University of Pennsylvania next year.
29-Sep-2011 Lakeway's Austin Mayo Austin Mayo, a 17-year-old senior from Lakeway, Texas, was honored for his drive, hustle and determination during a week-long training session at the IMG Bollettieri Academy. The 3-Star recruit and reigning state doubles champion talks tennis with TRN contributor James Hill.
23-Sep-2011 Bjorn Fratangelo Contemplates His Tennis Future Until recently, college tennis was certainly the primary option for top-ranked Bjorn Fratangelo. Although he had achieved great success as a junior, he had experienced few breakthroughs on the international or professional stage. Then Fratangelo, unseeded, became the first American boy to win the French Open junior championship since McEnroe in 1977. He followed up that performance with several strong Futures performances, lifting his ATP ranking into the 700s.
9-Sep-2011 Nolan Paige Heads to Palo Alto to Join Cardinal As a highly prized tennis player, Nolan Paige received phone calls, letters and Facebook messages from coaches vying for his commitment. In the end, Paige succumbed to the sincerity and persistence of Head Coach John Whitlinger and recently committed to Stanford University before beginning his senior year.
29-Aug-2011 From Judo to Tennis, Luca Corinteli takes the lead Luca Corinteli has made it to the top of the national rankings and recently won the title at the USTA National Boys' 16 Clay Courts. It was his first Gold Ball for singles, but certainly not the only first prize he's taken. Corinteli has many trophies on his mantle from a sport that most tennis players know nothing about - Judo.
22-Jul-2011 Harrison Looks Toward College as First Step to Pro Career Catherine Harrison knows what she wants from her college tennis experience. The 17-year-old rising senior from suburban Memphis, Tennessee is seeking a coach and a program that will prepare her for a career in professional tennis. That's the easy part. The hard part is deciding among her final three: Duke, Georgia Tech and Virginia.
13-Jul-2011 2012 Commitment: Andrew Korinek a Longhorn Last summer, seeded 5th at Texas' premier sectional tournament, Andrew Korinek blew through the 18s division to win the title, firmly establishing himself as one of the top Texas juniors of his generation. Shortly afterwards, Texas coach Michael Center offered Korinek an early scholarship. After discussion with his family, Korinek accepted - and he will be a Longhorn in the Fall of 2012.
6-Jul-2011 2012 Commitment: Yates an Early Lady of Troy Ellie Yates has learned that certain acronyms are translated differently in different parts of the country. Yates, a blue chip recruit from Mississippi, recently made a verbal commitment to play tennis at USC. Most locals have assumed she is heading to the University of South Carolina. But Yates has to correct them. She is heading to the West Coast to attend the University of Southern California.
17-Jun-2011 Kowalski Soars with the Eagles Next fall, Brian Kowalski will become a member of the Emory University Eagles tennis program when he enrolls at the Atlanta-area institution. At Emory, the Tampa, Fla., native will play for one of the most successful teams in NCAA history - while also receiving a quality education.
15-Apr-2011 Spring Signing Week '11: Scatliffe Heads to UCSB It would be easy to assume UC Santa Barbara had a huge advantage in recruiting April Scatliffe. After all, her older sister, Charlotte, played for the Gauchos and is now an assistant coach for the team. But the Redlands, Calif., resident thought she wanted to blaze her own trail at a different school and not be in her sister's shadow. But the all-encompassing lure of UCSB was too strong to ignore - she signed to play for the Gauchos.
15-Apr-2011 Spring Signing Week '11: Efferding Returns to Texas to Join Aggies Jeremy Efferding left Texas for Florida several years ago, but the blue chip recruit will be back in the Lone Star state for his college tennis career, having chosen to join Texas A&M University this fall.
14-Apr-2011 Spring Signing Week '11: McCourt Heads to the Tigers When Zack McCourt first tried tennis lessons at age six, he hated it. "I absolutely hated it," McCourt said emphatically. "I gave it another shot when I was nine, and played once or twice a week, but finally fell in love with it when I was 10." Fast forward eight years and McCourt, 18, of Sunrise, Florida, is headed to Princeton University.
14-Apr-2011 Spring Signing Week '11: Uberoi to the Bears The moment she had been anxiously awaiting finally arrived, and Nikita Uberoi rushed to the computer to learn her fate. Uberoi had committed to play at Brown University, but she still needed to be officially admitted. After waiting a few hours for Internet traffic on the overloaded servers to die down, Nikita and her fraternal twin sister, Nimita, both read the opening word "Congratulations".
13-Apr-2011 Spring Signing Week '11: Callie Whitlock a Tar Next fall, Callie Whitlock of Richmond, Va., will soon join the tennis team at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla. "I chose Rollins because it is a beautiful school and a great fit for me," said Callie, a four-star recruit. "It is a small school, which I think I would benefit from. And, it is Florida, which is perfect for tennis. I know the work I have done over the past years has paid off."
13-Apr-2011 Spring Signing Week '11: Diaz Fulfills Lifelong Dream as Buckeye Blue Chip Christopher Diaz narrowed down his college choices to his hometown team and his father's alma mater. In the end, he opted to stay at home in Columbus and be part of Ohio State's athletics, whose tradition of sports excellence he has known for as long as he can remember.
12-Apr-2011 Spring Signing Week '11: Dancu Signs with DePaul Joshua Dancu enjoys playing tennis and the drums - but he acknowledges their differences. "I feel less stress performing drums because a miscalculation will not cost me a match," said the Florida senior. "As I have gotten older and more experienced, they each provide a different type of rush." This fall, Dancu will take both of his talents to the city of Chicago, where he will compete for the DePaul University Blue Demons.
11-Apr-2011 Spring Signing Week '11: Kandinata Arrives at Richmond From Indonesia to Florida to North Carolina and soon to the University of Richmond, 16-year-old Melissa Kandinata has acquired a world of perspective amid her tennis travels. Kandinata, a five-star recruit ranked 41st among the senior class by TennisRecruiting.net, has committed to play for the Richmond Spiders in the fall. She's one of the highest-ranked recruits ever for the Spiders, who have won six of the last seven Atlantic 10 Conference championships.
7-Apr-2011 Countdown: Hamburg Heads to Gophers Jack Hamburg describes himself as "a guy from nowhere in South Dakota," but he's certainly been recognized in the world of tennis. This 10-time state high school champion is getting ready to bring his skills a bit further east when he joins the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the fall.
6-Apr-2011 Countdown: Zabor Rolls with the Tide Before going on any of her five official visits last fall, 5-Star recruit Emily Zabor made a spreadsheet that included 16 things that would appeal to her in a school and tennis team. While she liked all five schools that she visited, one stood out. In Novemeber, Zabor signed with Alabama.
5-Apr-2011 Countdown: Wolfpack Welcomes Ronald Powell At the start of his junior year, Ronald Powell got some alarming news - he had torn cartilage in his wrist that would require surgical repair. Two surgeries and ten months of rehab later, Powell would return to the court and start to regain his tennis form. This past fall, Powell decided to play his college tennis in Raleigh, N.C., with Coach Choboy and the N.C. State Wolfpack.
4-Apr-2011 Countdown: UCLA Welcomes Kaitlin Ray Growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas, Kaitlin Ray got serious about her tennis at age 11. When her enormous potential for the sport began to materialize, Ray's tennis journey kicked into high gear. That journey has taken her through Smith Stearns in South Carolina - on her way to college tennis at UCLA this coming fall.
31-Mar-2011 Countdown: Wood to the Stags Warren Wood wasn't concerned about perceived status symbols. He didn't want to attend a Division I institution simply to brag about playing at that level. Wood was most concerned about finding the right all-around fit for his game, his happiness and his future. That's why the Del Mar, Calif., resident decided to play tennis for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, a Division III program in Southern California.
30-Mar-2011 Countdown: Cypers Joins Amherst with Eye Toward Titles Four-star recruit Jonathan Cypers has a variety of reasons for selecting Division III Amherst for his higher education, with location, academics, and friendship among them. But the first one the 18-year-old New Yorker mentions is the tennis dream of many college players - a chance to win a national title.
29-Mar-2011 Countdown: Martin Hooked by Horns Next August, Alex Martin will be flashing the "Hook 'Em Horns" sign when the five-star recruit becomes a member of the Texas Longhorns women's tennis team. Martin was attracted to Texas by the school and tennis program - but the clincher was the chance to get to play for sixth-year Texas head coach Patty Fendick-McCain, a former collegiate and pro tennis star.
24-Mar-2011 Countdown: Denis Nguyen Heads to Cambridge Attending Harvard always seemed like more than just a dream to Denis Nguyen. The five-star recruit considered the possibility a complete fantasy. But it's become very real for Nguyen since he made a verbal commitment to play tennis for the Crimson.
22-Mar-2011 Countdown: Buell Heads Off to the Generals During her junior year in 2009, Meghan Buell and her partner won the Ohio state doubles title. That caught the attention of several college coaches, including Eric Ishida, head coach at Washington and Lee. In early 2011, after a phone call and an official visit, Buell verbally committed to the Generals.
25-Feb-2011 Capra Chooses Duke for Transition to Professional Career Reaching the third round of the US Open is rarely considered a problem for a teenager with a WTA ranking in the 300s. But Beatrice Capra's success last year in New York presented her with an obvious opportunity to reconsider her commitment to attending college. When all was said and done, Capra signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Duke Blue Devils in 2011-12, where she aims to polish her game while preparing for a career in pro tennis.
11-Feb-2011 Jasmine Minor Heads to Georgia Tech Throughout her junior tennis years, Jasmine Minor has always been a strong player. There never seemed to be a doubt that she would have a wide range of top colleges to choose from, but she ran into some obstacles just before her senior year. Those obstacles did not dissuade Georgia Tech Coach Bryan Shelton, however. Minor recently committed to play for Shelton's Yellow Jackets in Atlanta.
5-Jan-2011 Recent U.Va. signee Mitchell Frank cherishes practice with Federer Though he has won plenty of significant matches and championships in his budding career, one of Mitchell Frank's best tennis memories is a practice. His practice partner? None other than Roger Federer. Frank, who recently signed to become the University of Virginia's latest blue-chip recruit, got to conduct the workout of a lifetime at last year's U.S. Open.
24-Dec-2010 Giron to UCLA in 2011 17-year-old high school senior Marcos Giron is the latest in a line of top junior tennis players to emerge from Thousand Oaks, Calif. Like many of those coming before him, the Blue Chip recruit has committed to play college tennis at a Pac-10 program. On November 10, Giron signed a letter of intent to play at for the UCLA Bruins next Fall.
12-Nov-2010 Fall Signing Week '10: Giuliana Olmos Chooses the Trojans Giuliana Olmos was planning to take a year off and play professionally once she graduated from high school. But after the NCAA instituted a rule change that allows players to only take six months off without penalty, Olmos changed her mind. A whirlwind six-week recruiting process came to a happy conclusion for Olmos last week when the Fremont, Calif., native committed to play for USC.
12-Nov-2010 Fall Signing Week '10: New Yorker Tahir Bound for Durham The very modest Jason Tahir didn't think he was good enough to make the Duke team so he set his eyes elsewhere. This week, however, the blue-chip recruit, whose tennis skills and accomplishments speak louder than the young man himself, will sign a Letter of Intent with the Blue Devils.
11-Nov-2010 Fall Signing Week '10: Withrow an Aggie in Maroon and White College could not come any sooner for Jackson Withrow, the nation's 10th-ranked player. The blue-chip recruit from Cornhusker country has committed to play for the Aggies of A&M and is scheduled to be in Texas by January 2011.
11-Nov-2010 Fall Signing Week '10: Emina Bektas Heads to Ann Arbor In her young life, Emina Bektas has lived in Germany, Indianapolis, and the Texas Hill Country. Next year, she will make one more trip, to Ann Arbor, Mich. Emina plans to become a member of the Michigan Wolverines women's tennis team - and she plans to sign her National Letter of Intent this week.
10-Nov-2010 Fall Signing Week '10: Chappell to the Horned Frogs After a flurry of college coaches came knocking on his door, Nick Chappell finally narrowed his choice to the last two. The seventh-ranked junior's ultimate goal is to play and succeed on the professional tennis circuit. His college choice came down to who can best help him achieve that goal. The man for the job, he thought, was David Roditi, the newly-hired coach of the TCU Horned Frogs and former junior Davis Cup captain.
10-Nov-2010 Fall Signing Week '10: Caroline Price to Wear Carolina Blue Before Caroline Price made her decision to join the North Carolina Tar Heels, she followed the advice of her father - she made several unofficial visits during her junior year, then took official visits to four schools this fall. I asked Caroline in email and phone interviews about her recent decision to join the University of North Carolina in fall of 2011.
10-Nov-2010 Fall Signing Week '10: Stineman Heads to The Farm Robert Stineman said balancing academics and tennis has been the guiding factor in his life. After considering prestigious schools like Harvard and Yale, the 17-year-old senior from Winnetka, Ill. plans to continue that balancing act at Stanford University.
9-Nov-2010 Fall Signing Week '10: Flores to the Utes, PAC-10 Two years ago, Danielle Flores sat by her father's hospital bed conveying her lifetime goals and tennis aspirations. Just like she vowed, she will be signing a letter of intent tomorrow to play for the University of Utah. "My dad would have been ecstatic," Flores said. "He loved tennis so much, and would always call me to ask how I was doing in tournaments and watched me play when he could. I know that he would be overjoyed and really proud of me."
8-Nov-2010 Fall Signing Week '10: Amber Li a Yale Bulldog Five-star recruit Amber Li had just returned from an official visit when the phone rang in her Tampa, Fla., home. It was Danielle McNamara, the women's coach at Yale University, calling to arrange a visit during a family trip to Florida. Yale was already one of Li's top college choices. And a few days after her dinner with Coach McNamara, it was Li's only choice.
5-Nov-2010 Countdown: Santamaria Heads to USC If Sabrina Santamaria wants something badly, she doesn't sit back and wait for someone else to make the first move. Santamaria knew the University of Southern California was her top choice, so she emailed head coach Richard Gallien with her playing schedule and past results. Gallien came to watch Santamaria play a short time later, and eventually offered her a scholarship.
3-Nov-2010 Countdown: Cotrone Commits Early When it came to choosing a college, Cotrone wanted a big atmosphere, a nice campus, a warm climate, teammates he meshed with and coaches he admired. One trip to Tallahassee, Fla., was all he needed to make a decision. "I had four or five official visits lined up, and FSU was my first one," said Cotrone, 17. After he got back from Florida State, he called the other coaches to tell them he wasn't going to be coming.
2-Nov-2010 Countdown: Dennis Mkrtchian Decides on UCLA When Mkrtchian was 6 1/2 years old, his family decided to go hit tennis balls at the courts near its house in Reseda, California. Nobody had any background in the sport, but Mkrtchian's parents figured it would be a fun way to spend a few hours together. Fast forward 11 years - and Mkrtchian has verbally committed to play college tennis at one of the premier schools in the country.
1-Nov-2010 Countdown: Like Jensen, 2011 Orange Have Star Power Luke Jensen arrived at Syracuse University in 2006 with an ambitious vision for the women's tennis program: He wanted his players to become serious contenders on the pro circuit, but also leave with an academic degree that provided a future after their playing careers. With things playing out according to script, Jensen has received verbal commitments from four highly-ranked seniors that are at the same time dazzled by his star power - and not cowed by his demanding program.
29-Oct-2010 Countdown: Blue Chip Turewicz Selects Blue Devils When Monica Turewicz took an unofficial visit to Duke University in May, she felt an instant bond. Although it was the first of three such visits she was planning to make, her experience in Durham set the bar. "They were really welcoming," said Turewicz. "They're all so together and the team spirit's really good." In just a couple of weeks, Turewicz plans to sign an NLI with the Duke Blue Devils.
28-Oct-2010 Countdown: Newman to Continue Comeback at Florida When it comes to tennis, expect the unexpected. Just ask blue-chip recruit Spencer Newman. After a change in schools that hindered his practice time - and after significant injuries that left him with screws in his legs - nothing would surprise him. But Newman is excited to take his place as a member of Coach Jackson's Florida Gators in the Fall of 2011.
27-Oct-2010 Countdown: Gregory Scott to UCSB For young tennis players, growing up in Southern California has a lot of advantages. Great weather, a lengthy assortment of tournaments month after month and plenty of strong competition. Blue Chip senior Greg Scott of Manhattan Beach, Calif., has decided to stay in the Golden State for college at UC Santa Barbara.
26-Oct-2010 Countdown: Megan Horter to Baylor The Baylor Bears have a recent tradition of being both a top-five program - and a team dominated by foreign tennis players. They have not had an American or Texas girl on scholarship in years. It takes a special kind of recruit to step in and break that trend - and that's exactly what they will be getting in 5-Star recruit Megan Horter.
20-Oct-2010 Countdown: Xepoleas to the Boilermakers As a blue chip recruit, Lynda Xepoleas had quite a choice of where to go to school. When she narrowed down her list of schools, the finalists came as a surprise to some. This Southern California girl skipped the PAC-10 and decided to go to the Midwest - specifically Purdue. Lynda Xepoleas article placeholder.
19-Oct-2010 Countdown: Anteaters Get Jung Jacob Jung did not always plan to go to college - he thought his path in tennis would lead him straight to the pros. But an elbow injury that kept him off the court for a year and altered his perspective. Jung has to decided to attend a college close to home, making a verbal commitment to Coach Trevor Kronemann and the UC Irvine Anteaters.
18-Oct-2010 Countdown: Jeremiah a Cowgirl Mary Jeremiah's college invitations would turn almost anyone green with envy. But, after checking out colleges throughout the South Central and Southeastern United States, the blue chip senior decided to wear the orange and black of a Cowgirl.
13-Oct-2010 Countdown: Three Top Recruits to C of C Three top recruits from the Southeast have given verbal commitments to become members of the College of Charleston women's tennis team. Joining 2009 ITA Southeast Coach of the Year Angelo Anastopoulo are Samantha Maddox (Lexington, Ky.), Jenny Falcone (Davidson, N.C.), and Grace Baker (Charlotte, N.C.). The three highly-rated recruits all plan to sign with the Cougars as soon as possible in the Fall Signing Period.
11-Oct-2010 Countdown: Johnson Heads South to USC Eric Johnson was only 3 1/2 years old when he wandered into his family's garage and discovered an old tennis racket. He began hitting balls against a wall, and realized how much he enjoyed the process. Fast forward several years, and the San Jose, Calif., native enjoyed competing - and having success - in national events. Johnson, a Blue Chip senior, should have plenty of opportunity to continue that success with his college choice.
11-Oct-2010 Countdown: Koch in Garnet and Black Although seventeen-year-old Kyle Koch headed into his senior year of high school with a solid tennis resume, the 6-foot-3 South Carolinian expected stiff competition for a coveted NCAA Division-I tennis scholarship. But Koch's big game had caught the eye of Josh Goffi, the recently-hired coach at South Carolina. Within weeks of Goffi's arrival, Koch announced his verbal commitment to stay in-state and play for the Gamecocks.
22-Sep-2010 Sock Weighs Options After Winning U.S. Open Boys Championship "What are your plans for deciding between college and professional tennis?" From his first U.S. Open press conference after an opening round main draw loss to Marco Chiudinelli of Switzerland, through the final press conference following his boys' singles championship 12 days later, Jack Sock has been asked over and over again about his tennis future. Colette Lewis sat down with Sock in New York...
27-Aug-2010 Atlanta's Pasha Commits to Georgia Bulldogs It wasn't the program's storied history of tennis excellence, or a conversation with former Bulldog John Isner, currently in the ATP Top 20, that led to blue chip Nathan Pasha's verbal commitment to the University of Georgia. Instead, it was the opportunity to be close to his family while working toward a professional tennis career that had the rising senior from Atlanta deciding to head to nearby Athens.
9-Aug-2010 Recruiting Profile: Katie Goepel During her preteen years, five star recruit Katie Goepel found contentment hitting tennis balls against the garage door of the family home. Those countless hours have helped give the 17-year-old from Chatham, New Jersey plenty of options. A straight-A student, Goepel received a dozen or so calls from college coaches on July 1, and she is now reviewing her list of possible schools.
21-Jul-2010 Nicholas Baez: Bienvenidos a Barcelona Nicholas Baez could not have imagined that a leisurely European vacation would drastically change the course of his young life. In July 2010, Baez and his mother will move to Spain so he can train full-time at the Academia Sanchez-Casal in Barcelona. Ali Jones talked with the Baez family about this significant move.
8-Jul-2010 Egger Will Join Washington Huskies in 2011 Emmett Egger is comfortable on the road - playing tennis on several continents while living and training in Florida and Texas. But when it came time to consider his college options, the Issaquah, Washington native kept the University of Washington high on his list. Last month, Egger verbally committed to join Matt Anger's Huskies in the fall of 2011.
5-Jul-2010 Tucker Tennis Sends off Eight Seniors to Division I Trent Tucker wants to regain Tulsa's old glory. Tulsa was once known as the "Oil Capital of the World" with numerous gushers spitting oil. But Tucker is not digging for black gold. Instead, he's planting seeds of tennis. His 2010 harvest has been bountiful: eight of his students have signed on to play Division I tennis - to Cornell, Duke, Florida, Iowa, Marquette, Oklahoma, OSU and UMKC.
10-Jun-2010 Herring Commits to Georgia for 2011 It was love at first sight for blue chip Lauren Herring when she stepped on the campus of the University of Georgia last October. The rising senior recently made a verbal commitment to the Bulldogs, becoming Coach Wallace's first commitment for 2011.
16-Apr-2010 Spring Signing Week '10: Katherine Oudin a Paladin Katherine Oudin, one of the top unsigned high school senior girls, is going to the University of Furman. An honor student at The Walker School in Marietta, Ga., Oudin will give Furman two top-100 recruits, the most in the Southern Conference.
16-Apr-2010 Spring Signing Week '10: Grant Commits to the Trojans Michael Grant, a five-star recruit from Santa Barbara, Calif., will sign an NLI with the University of Southern California Trojans men's tennis team - the defending NCAA Division I champions. Grant, a native of London who moved to the U.S. in 2004 with his family, plans to join a tennis-rich school which holds 17 NCAA team titles.
15-Apr-2010 Spring Signing Week '10: Aaron Pfister to Michigan State To tennis aficionados around Flint, Michigan, Aaron Pfister is a familiar name. His two consecutive state singles championships resulted in him being named "Mr. Tennis" by the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association - and Player of the Year by The Flint Journal for the second straight year. Next year, Pfister will be in Green and White as a Michigan State Spartan.
15-Apr-2010 Spring Signing Week '10: Courter an OSU Cowgirl From the rich vein running through Georgia's tennis landscape that produces top-quality gems, another sparkler from Lawrenceville has been unearthed. Five-star Julia Courter is off to Stillwater, Oklahoma, for further polishing.
14-Apr-2010 Spring Signing Week '10: Top Californians Commit to UC Davis In January, the University of California-Davis women's tennis program was ranked No. 18 among the 2010 recruiting classes. UC Davis coach Bill Maze is especially pleased with his three recruits, all who hail from California. Joining the Aggies program in the fall are Kelly Chui, Nicole Koehly and Megan Heneghan.
14-Apr-2010 Spring Signing Week '10: Davis Signs with Seminoles Blue chip Blake Davis looks back on last year's USTA Boys 18 Clay Court championships as an important moment in his college search. Unseeded in Delray Beach, Davis went on to reach the quarterfinals in the main draw and the consolation final, results that confirmed both the health of his surgically-repaired knee and his position as one of the nation's top recruits. This week, Davis will sign a NLI to continue his career with the Florida State Seminoles.
14-Apr-2010 Spring Signing Week '10: Jerjomina Rounds Out Georgia's Class With no more than four of its current players returning, the University of Georgia women's tennis team would be excused with a rebuilding year in 2010-2011. Just don't count on it. Next year, the Bulldogs welcome a trio of blue chip prospects. Following the winter signings of Lilly Kimbell and Kate Fuller, head coach Jeff Wallace inked another Athens-bound athlete in Alina Jerjomina.
13-Apr-2010 Spring Signing Week '10: Joey Fritz to Amherst Joey Fritz is a modern-day Renaissance man. An excellent student, pianist, and tennis player, the five-star recruit makes sure his life is in balance and has his priorities set: school always comes first. When it came time to pick colleges, he gravitated toward smaller schools with strong academic traditions. Fritz selected Amherst as his college destination.
12-Apr-2010 Spring Signing Week '10: Ariel Morton goes Tiger Ariel Morton of Spring, Texas, is one of the hardest hitters in junior tennis despite her diminutive size - 5-foot-4 and 108 pounds. "I don't realize I'm small," Morton said. "Most people have to tell me." Ranked No. 43 nationally among high school seniors, Morton wrapped up her recruiting process in November when she accepted an offer from Louisiana State University.
9-Apr-2010 Countdown: Anicete an Owl When 5-Star senior Kim Anicete started thinking about college, it really came down to two things: she needed someplace close to home, and she needed a school that would get her ready for medical school. She has easily found both - and will enroll this fall to play for coach Elizabeth Schmidt and the Rice Owls.
5-Apr-2010 Countdown: Army Strong on the Courts, Too In January, the Black Knights of the United States Military Academy were voted one of the Top 10 recruiting classes for the Class of 2010. Army has developed a strong tradition in the Patriot League, winning nine titles and appearing in the conference championship match 15 times in the 16 seasons. Strong recruiting may lead to even loftier goals for the Cadets.
2-Apr-2010 Countdown: Kissell Follows Own Road to N.C. State When Joelle Kissell thinks of tennis, she can't help but think of family. Her older sister, Michaela, plays No. 1 singles at Marshall, and many expected the younger sister to commit to the Thundering Herd. But when the press release announcing her decision hit the wire on December 11, it came from Raleigh, N.C. - Joelle Kissell had committed to the N.C. State Wolfpack.
24-Mar-2010 Countdown: Fournier Signs with Texas Tech Haley Fournier of Leawood, Kan., is a two-sport athlete who has signed a letter of intent with the Texas Tech University Red Raiders. Fournier, a key member of four championship teams for Blue Valley North H.S., signed her NLI in tennis, but she still loves both sports - and she hopes to walk on to the Tech soccer team.
23-Mar-2010 Countdown: Alex Rovello playing at an Elite Level One of Oregon's greatest high school tennis champions is staying close to home as Alex Rovello of Portland's Cleveland High School announced that he'll be an Oregon Duck.
22-Mar-2010 Countdown: Mamalat a Marquette Golden Eagle When 5-Star senior Daniil Mamalat finished up his junior year, he started to look around at colleges - including Indiana, Penn State, and Marquette. The more he learned about Marquette, the better he liked it. Finally, he signed on.
19-Feb-2010 American Andrews brings home European trophies Blue chip Gabrielle Andrews barely had time to return to her California home to rest on her 2009 Winter Nationals laurels. Almost immediately, the 13-year-old champion was on the road again, representing the United States in two of the most prestigious European junior tournaments: Aegon Teen Tennis and Les Petit As. That trip was a very successful one.
15-Jan-2010 Floridian Blackwell Headed to Nebraska Coach Kerry McDermott and his Nebraska men's tennis team will have the services of a Florida player next season. Tom Blackwell has signed a letter of intent, and will join the Huskers squad in 2010. The nationally ranked Floridian is the first player from the Sunshine State to play for the Big Red since 1992.
21-Dec-2009 Top Two Oklahomans Sooners To Be Sooners Coach David Mullins didn't need to look far from Norman for his 2010 recruits: he recently signed the top two women in Oklahoma - Mia Lancaster and Whitney Ritchie.
13-Nov-2009 Fall Signing Week '09: Kimbell Continues On-and-Off Court Education at Georgia It was only fitting that, after bucking the odds as both a high school and junior tennis star, Lilly Kimbell chose college over the pros. That was a simple decision. Deciding among Florida State, North Carolina, Texas, Illinois and Georgia... now that took some thinking. Ultimately, the 5'7" right-hander chose to cross the country and attend the University of Georgia next fall.
13-Nov-2009 Fall Signing Week '09: Katz Chooses the Quakers Five-star recruit Zachary Katz has made the decision to head East to play college tennis for the Pennsylvania Quakers. His coach, the legendary Rick Macci, thinks it is a great fit. Zach is very bright and will get a super education," Macci said. "He can be a top Ivy League singles and doubles player right away."
12-Nov-2009 Fall Signing Week '09: Santa Clara's Mills Recruits Lamble Santa Clara University men's tennis coach Derek Mills tackles recruiting with the same competitive spirit he does a dual match. He is undeterred as he goes after his targets. The results speak for themselves. Last year's recruiting class was ranked, and the 2010 class starts off with Blue Chip recruit John Lamble.
12-Nov-2009 Fall Signing Week '09: Dream Come True as Mengel Picks Duke Thanksgiving is fast approaching but Chris Mengel couldn't wait until Nov. 26 to share his gratitude. In revealing his commitment to play tennis at Duke, the blue-chip Pittsburgh prospect thanked everyone from Craig Perry, his coach of eight years, to the International Tennis Academy, where Mengel spent the first half of 2009 honing his strokes. Friends, family and the staff at Pittsburgh's Shady Side Academy rounded out Mengel's thank-you list.
11-Nov-2009 Fall Signing Week '09: Kosakowski Decides The pull of a close-knit family and a university's athletic and academic tradition made Daniel Kosakowski's college choice easy. The native Californian with strong Polish roots will stay in Los Angeles and don the blue and gold of the UCLA Bruins.
11-Nov-2009 Fall Signing Week '09: Cercone Stays in Home State, Signs with Gators Back when she was playing zonals and intersectionals for the Florida section, Alexandra Cercone loved the team atmosphere at those junior competitions. She treasured the bonds formed by the team t-shirts and well-rehearsed cheers. And although college tennis may mean bigger audiences for that team spirit, her decision to sign a National Letter of Intent to join the University of Florida in 2010 will keep that Florida pride in full view.
10-Nov-2009 Fall Signing Week '09: Mira to the Commodores Maria Mira, with her grit, determination, and serve-and-volley game is heading to Tennessee next fall to wear the black and gold of the Vanderbilt Commodores. "I chose Vanderbilt based on the following factors: the small student population, its academic excellence and topnotch tennis program with a great coaching staff and its beautiful campus in the heart of Nashville."
9-Nov-2009 Fall Signing Week '09: Hold That Hilsman Five-star recruit Cal Hilsman will officially don the orange-and-white jersey at Clemson this coming January, and he can't wait for the day to come. "It was a no-brainer," he said about his decision to go to Clemson, less than two hours from his home in Spartanburg, S.C. "It just felt right. I really think that this is the best environment for me to grow not only as a tennis player but as a person. It is close to home and close to heart."
6-Nov-2009 Countdown: Smyth to the 'Cats Blue Chip Lacey Smyth had numerous suitors vying for her commitment: Colorado, Pepperdine, San Diego and Washington. Ultimately, her heart went to Arizona. "I chose Arizona [because of its] supportive coaching staff, the cohesiveness of the team, and the career opportunities available at the University," said the #3-ranked Californian.
3-Nov-2009 Countdown: Dolehide Heads West to UCLA It's hard to imagine anyone being more excited than Brian Dolehide when his big sister, Courtney, verbally committed to UCLA. Courtney Dolehide and her brother visited UCLA together, and that visit made an impact. "That is when I fell in love with the school," she said. "It's such a great academic school and it is so sports-oriented. There is so much spirit around being a Bruin, and I am just really excited about that part of it."
2-Nov-2009 Countdown: Saba to the Devils Frederick Saba was 13 when Nick Saviano told him that full-time dedication to tennis would make him one of the elite players in the country. At the time, Saba wasn't even an elite player in his native Florida. Now, Saba is the No. 5 player in TennisRecruiting.net's class of 2010. He will sign with Duke later this month.
28-Oct-2009 Countdown: Ann Arbor Welcomes Bolender 17-year-old Brooke Bolender already has a number of significant victories, including wins over Sloane Stephens, Christina McHale, and Chanelle Van Nguyen. She owns a Gold Ball from a USTA championship, and she reached the finals in both singles and doubles at the International Grass Court Championships in June. Next year, Bolender will be wearing the maize and blue of the University of Michigan.
27-Oct-2009 Countdown: Cheung Calls Irvine Home One goal of every major college coach is to keep talented local recruits in their own backyard. For Ryan Cheung, that is literally almost the case at the University of California, Irvine.
26-Oct-2009 Countdown: Tigers Take Three Three highly-ranked recruits from Florida, Georgia and Alabama have given verbal commitments to become members of the Auburn University Tigers women's tennis team. Jackie Kasler of Gulf Breeze, Fla.; Julia Courter of Lawrenceville, Ga.; and Emily Newton of Dothan, Ala.; will all play for head coach Tim Gray in Auburn, Ala.
21-Oct-2009 Countdown: Shane chooses Cavaliers Justin Shane enjoyed seeing a tall, slender young man named Juan Martin del Potro make his big breakthrough at the U.S. Open. Shane, a tall, slender young man from Falls Church, Va., hopes his big breakthrough will come with the University of Virginia Cavaliers.
20-Oct-2009 Countdown: Millie Nichols Commits to Tennessee Millie Nichols, a Texas high school singles champion, has decided to become a Volunteer. The Lake Travis star told the husband-wife coaching team of Mike and Sonia Hahn-Patrick that she is headed to Knoxville next fall.
14-Oct-2009 Countdown: Hanna Mar Remains a Devil Hanna Mar's college mascot will be no different from her high school's, except for its color: she's trading her Hinsdale Central Red Devils for Duke University's Blue Devils. "I visited a number of schools and there was just a feeling I had at Duke," said Mar.
13-Oct-2009 Countdown: Alden Stays Close to Home, Chooses Illinois University of Illinois Head Coach Brad Dancer didn't look far for his first Class of 2010 recruit. It was hard for him to miss Brian Alden, a 6'5" five-star prospect from Inverness, Ill. The Fighting Illini featured four players from the Prairie State in 2009, so Alden should feel right at home in Champaign, even if it is a three-hour drive from his house.
8-Oct-2009 Davis Gains Stature in New York Top-ranked sophomore Lauren Davis decided to defend her USTA National Girls 16s title in San Diego this year - in part to return to the biggest stage in U.S. tennis - Flushing Meadows, New York. Having played only three ITF junior events in her tennis career, Davis needed the US Open Junior wild card given to the 16s champion, and once she secured it, without dropping a set in her seven victories, she was ready for her second chance in New York.
24-Sep-2009 Capra Considers Options While Enjoying Junior Grand Slam Success Blue chip senior Beatrice Capra loves to write, keeping a journal of her experiences as she travels the tennis circuit. This summer, the class of 2010's third-ranked player reached the final 16 in all three junior slams, concluding with a quarterfinal appearance at the U.S. Open. With that kind of success, writer's block isn't likely, and she provided some of her impressions during a recent interview.
21-Sep-2009 On Serve with Heather Watson By now, you probably know Heather Watson as the U.S. Open Junior girls' champion. But how much do you really know about the 17-year-old IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy student originally from the tiny island of Guernsey, just south of the United Kingdom?
13-Aug-2009 Lords of the Strings Joshua Rey talks with the talented trio of junior players in the Lord family of Bloomfield, Conn. - Matthew (10 years old), Melissa (12), and Dayna (14).
10-Jul-2009 Texas and Texas A&M Recruiting Classes When it comes to college tennis in Texas, there are plenty of solid men's programs within the state. Texas has reached the semifinals in three of the last four years, including the championship match in 2008, while Baylor won it all in 2004 and lost in the finals in 2005. Texas A&M is on the rise, reaching the Sweet 16 this season. Rice, TCU and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi are always in the tournament. This past recruiting season saw Texas (#3) and Texas A&M (#18) with recruiting classes in the top-20. How good are these classes?
9-Jul-2009 Will Heads Florida's Way Blue chip recruit Allie Will had two decisions to make during her senior year. The 18-year-old from Boca Raton, Fla. was debating both where and when she would attend college, deciding late last year on the University of Florida, and early last month that she would not take a year off, but instead join the Gators this fall.
Full Listings: Boys' Commits & Girls' Commits