Eagles Grab 14th-Best Recruiting Class of Mid-Major Programs

STATESBORO, Ga.- Coming off the program's best season in nearly three decades, the men's tennis team added four signees set to start in the fall. According to the Tennis Recruiting website, Georgia Southern's incoming class ranks 14^th of all mid-major programs.

"We have a great recruiting class," head coach Sander Koning said. "I believe the players coming in will have a positive impact on the program and are eager to help bring this program to new heights. Every one of them has something else to bring to the table, and I think that will help us overall as a team."

Out of the four, two are in-state recruits. Murphy McCullough, a Georgia native, joins the team from Johns Creek, while Davis Stewart has spent the past two years in Lake Park, Georiga after moving from Texas. The other two commits, Santiago Suarez and Diego Finkelstein hail from South America-- Suarez from Puebla, Mexico and Finkelstein from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

MURPHY MCCULLOUGH- JOHNS CREEK, GA.
Serving as the lone Georgia native of the bunch, McCollough brings a wealth of experience from his junior career. During that time, he was able to rank as high as 15^th in the state and 226^th in the country according to the website Tennis Recruiting.
"I'm really excited to have the opportunity to be able to come play for Georgia Southern next year," McCullough said. "I'm looking forward to see what the team can accomplish.

What Coach Koning said: "Murphy is a Georgia native, who is a great guy. I enjoyed talking to him during the recruiting period and his positive attitude will be a great addition to the program. He was able to see us play a couple of times this past season and he was already very excited to come and help the program. He has shown great promise in his junior career. He was able to continually improve his performance and he is ready to bring his game to a new level here at Southern."

DAVIS STEWART- AMARILLO, TEX.
Ranking as high as sixth in Texas and 153^rd nationally in junior tennis, Stewart joins the team after attending Lowndes High School and plans to study Psychology while at Georgia Southern. For the past two years, he's been racking up experience in the state of Georiga, residing in Lake Park.

"I am excited to compete as a part of Eagle Nation next fall," Stewart said. "Playing Division I tennis has been my lifelong goal, and now it is time to deliver and make that goal a reality."

What Coach Koning said: "Davis is a very nice young man who has the mindset that every coach wants in a student-athlete. He has distinguished himself not only on the tennis court but also outside of it. Davis is a true competitor, no matter what sport he plays, he goes as hard has he can every time. He recently upset the number one player in Georgia and that tells you how much heart he has for this game. Everyone I talked to has told me what a great team mate and friend he is and I think college tennis will be perfect for him to use these qualities and help this program."

SANTIAGO SUAREZ- PUEBLA, MEXICO
After playing in Mexico his whole life, Suarez transfers his talents to Georgia Southern. Throughout his career, Suarez has won Mexico's National Championship nine times, achieving an overall ITF ranking of 265.

What Coach Koning said: "Santiago is a very humble guy, who has a love for the game. He is what we call a student of the game. Every time I talk to him, I can feel his passion for the game and how he can improve in it. He had a career high ITF ranking of 265 and has played a lot of tennis on a high level. He was selected for junior Davis Cup and I believe that experience will help him in college tennis. He knows what it is like to play not only for a team, but for a country and it is something not many players can say. He will be able to share this experience with others on our team and it will help us to be stronger as a team."

DIEGO FINKELSTEIN- SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
Although Finkelstein didn't play in any Brazilian tournaments the last three years, he achieved a national junior ranking of 10^th in the country and a state junior ranking of third. In addition, he was ranked 458^th in the ITF rankings and plans on helping Georgia Southern capture a conference tournament during his time as an Eagle.

What Coach Koning said: "Diego is our latest addition. He is a guy who comes over very eager and positive. He has a little bit of that Brazilian swag. He is an athlete and will be able to help us be a little bit more physical on the court as a team. He is a player who has seen a lot of tennis all over South America and I believe he has all the tools to become a great college player. When his game truly comes together he will be a force to be reckoned with."

Since last season, the Eagles graduated two—Rise Lanne and Nico de Groof—and return eight veterans including upcoming seniors Dani Casablancas and Christian Kerrigan. The Eagles start up again this fall with their first tournament at the end of September.

Schedule

Players Mentioned

Dani Casablancas

Nico de Groof

Christian Kerrigan

Rise Lanne