University of Tennessee Athletics
Men's Tennis Completes Recruiting Class With Freshman Trio
June 19, 2018 | Men's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee men's tennis program is set to welcome three incoming freshman in August.Â
Jose Antonio Dugo Reyes, Pat Harper and Knoxville native Sean Presson will arrive as head coach Chris Woodruff's first official recruiting class. After leading the team to a 21-9 record and a top-20 finish in 2018, Woodruff was able to land the No. 17 class in the nation, according to the Tennis Recruiting Network's spring rankings.Â
"Really excited to welcome Sean, Pat and Jose to the Tennessee family," Woodruff said. "I think each of them fits the mold that James (McKie) and I are looking for and trying to establish. They give us a nice blend of some local flavor as well as some international's. The commonality between everyone is they all love tennis, and I think if you love tennis, this is a great institution to develop your skill set in."Â
The incoming class will look to follow up on an impressive 2018 season that the previous freshmen put together. Notably, Adam Walton finished with 25 wins in singles that included a team-high eight victories in SEC matches, and Andrew Rogers compiled 18 wins in doubles including three consecutive to close out the season.Â
Jose Antonio Dugo ReyesÂ
Jose brings a wealth of experience at the juniors level with him to Knoxville. While he has not been able to compete since January of this year due to eligibility reasons, coach Woodruff will maintain a high expectation for an immediate impact. He has defeated numerous prospects who held a high ITF ranking, including then-No. 35 Phillip Henning and then-No. 14 Clement Tabur, both of which came during Jose's run to a championship at an ITF G4 event in May of 2016. At the Seville Challenger event in Sept. 2017, Jose took down Alexander Igoshin, who is currently No. 645 in the ATP World Rankings, in three sets. Jose was ranked No. 1170 in the ATP doubles rankings at the end of 2017.Â
The Cordoba, Spain native currently holds the No. 645 spot in the ITF Tennis Juniors Rankings as well as a 13.4 Universal Tennis Rating. A right handed forehand with a double handed backhand, Jose began playing the game of tennis at age 5. He will become the first player from Spain to compete for the Volunteers in program history.
Pat Harper
Pat will continue the storied tradition of Australian players in the Orange & White, as the Vols have had at least one Aussie on the the roster every year since 1988. As the captain of his high school team, St. Peter's Lutheran College, Pat caught the eye of multiple Division I programs, and chose Tennessee over SMU and Virginia Tech. His brother, Mitch Harper, played at No. 1 in the singles lineup for the Hokies as a junior this past season. Pat recently earned his first ATP point following a straight-sets victory over No. 259 Bradley Mousley at an F1 future's event in Renmark, Australia.Â
Sean Presson
Sean signed his National Letter of Intent in the fall of 2017 as the top ranked collegiate prospect in the state of Tennessee. A Knoxville native, he attended the Tennessee Tennis Club & Academy and earned status as a four-star recruit. He most recently won the Tennessee State Qualifying Championships in Chattanooga, defeating Jeffrey Dewald on Tuesday, June 5. Sean did not drop a set in five matches at the tournament. In February, he placed third at the Icy Hot USTA Southern Level 2 Championships in Rome, Ga.Â
In the past week, Sean put together an impressive run to the finals of the USTA Southern Closed BG 18 Championship in Mobile, Ala. He won six consecutive matches, including a notable win over ITF No. 35 Wesley Barnett, before falling short to Huntley Allen on June 16.Â
Although adjusting to the schedule and style of NCAA tennis will perhaps take time, Woodruff noted that the incoming class will have a strong source of leadership from the players returning from a season ago.Â
"They can help in understanding what it's like to compete," he said. "That's really important that they come in here with the right mindset. We've put the tennis program back into the top 20 from the 60's, and our older guys are going to have to help them understand what it's like to work hard and that you do need to try to give your best everyday."
