ROCK HILL, SC--The Winthrop Men's Tennis Team will open the 2013 season on Monday when the Eagles travel to Wake Forest to face the 66th ranked Demon Deacons for a 6 p.m. match.

This year's squad has been revamped and rebuilt by second year head coach Andrew Stubbs and his new assistant Bryan Swartz.  The 2013 Eagles return three players from a year ago in sophomore Dylan Comerford (Johannesburg, South Africa) and juniors Yuta Hirokawa (Niigata, Japan) and Chase Altieri (Lake Wylie, SC).

Seven new players have been added to the roster, including  University of Tennessee sophomore transfer Peter Nagovnak (Kraubath, Austria) who is expected to play one of the top positions.  The other newcomers include freshmen Steven Patrick (Knoxville, TN), Michael Chen (Johnson City, TN),  JD O'Brien (Hilton Head, SC), Juan Pablo Boada (LaPaz, Bolivia), Ivar Aramburu  (Mexico City, Mexico) and Corey Decandia (Adelaide, Australia).

“We have a young team that is still a work in progress,” said Stubbs.  “However, youth can be an asset if you are bringing in the right caliber of players and individuals.  We believe we have one of the fastest rising tennis programs in the country here at Winthrop, and we believe in our system and have high expectations for this season.”

Following the Wake Forest match, Winthrop will face 60th ranked Clemson at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Davidson.  The Eagles will meet Wofford on the road on Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. before making their home debut on Sunday, Jan. 27 against Tennessee Tech at 1 p.m.