ROCK HILL, SC—  Winthrop men's tennis coach Andrew Stubbs has announced the signing of  the 10^th best recruiting class in the nation among mid-major universities according to TennisRecruiting.net with the addition of four freshmen and one transfer athlete for the upcoming 2012-2013 season.

The four freshmen consist of Juan Pablo Boada (La Paz, Bolivia), Michael Chen (Johnson City, TN), JD O'Brien (Hilton Head Island, SC), and Steven Patrick (Knoxville, TN). Peter Nagovnak (Kraubath, Austria) has transferred from the University of Tennessee.  “I am thrilled with this year's recruiting class,” said Stubbs. “This group of outstanding newcomers, along with our core returnees, will help take our program to the next level.”

Boada will graduate high school in December and join the Eagles' program beginning in the spring semester.  He is the number one ranked U18 tennis player in Bolivia. He has also earned a professional tennis ranking on the ATP tour, reaching as high as #1636 defeating players ranked as high as #600 ATP and top 100 ITF U18.

“Juan Pablo has been the top ranked tennis player in Bolivia for his age division since he was 12 years old. He possesses an exceptional all-around game with great quickness and athletic ability. He will make a significant impact in our lineup when he joins our program in January,” Stubbs said.  
 
Chen comes to Winthrop after being ranked as one of the top two junior tennis players from the state of Tennessee for the class of 2012. He was rated as a 4-star recruit by TennisRecruiting.net and has been ranked as high as #116 in the nation for his recruiting class. 

“Michael has consistently been one of the top ranked players in the state of Tennessee throughout his junior tennis career. Michael is tall and athletic; he is underplayed and has a huge upside that he will grow into during his college career,” says Stubbs.

O'Brien trained at Smith Stearns Tennis Academy in Hilton Head, SC and attended Hilton Head Preparatory School where his team won the state championship in 2011.

“JD comes to us from one of the best tennis academies in the nation and we are thrilled to have another South Carolina player on our team. JD embodies the work ethic that our program represents and because of that, he will improve tremendously throughout his college career and positively impact our team,” said Winthrop's coach.

Patrick joins the Eagles as a two-time state doubles champion and the Tennessee High School Player of the Year. He is rated as a 4-star recruit by TennisRecruiting.net and has been ranked as one of the top two players from the State of Tennessee and as high as #75 in the nation for his recruiting class.

“Like Michael, Steven has been one of top ranked players from Tennessee throughout his junior tennis career,” says Stubbs. “Steven possesses a solid all-around game and the potential to make great strides over the next few years due to his tremendous work ethic and determination. Steven is the type of person that will thrive in the team environment of college tennis.”  

Nagovnak joins the Winthrop tennis program after spending one season at Tennessee where he was nationally ranked individually (#117) and his team finished the year ranked in the top 20 in the nation. Peter was one of the top Austrian juniors and trained at the Austrian National Academy. He won the Austrian Under-18 Indoor Championships in December 2010.

According to Stubbs, “Peter brings a great amount of experience having already played one season at the highest level of college tennis. He will make an immediate impact on our team because of his playing abilities, but also because of his competitiveness and leadership qualities.”