Great to see these guys all doing so well but also so many freshmen having great starts to their college careers in both singles and doubles.
Kenneth please let us know, you probably have a much better idea of who has just started and is doing well, we (well I am) always interested to know who is doing what elsewhere, I am just able to keep an eye on the players doing well in the power conferences primarily because I am interested in players who may transition to Challenger tennis (thats not really many players) but the general standard of tennis throughout Division one is high, indeed the standard at a level consistent with the early rounds of the better British tour events and all but the very best domestic tennis leagues across Europe
My son is looking at D1 options, so tracking this years Freshmen. Sure Kenneth can provide more depth & on womens side too
Player
College
#singles
Comments 2018/2019
Oscar Cutting
Memphis
#5, #4
Dubs fellow Brit David Stevenson #30
Seb Harris
Gardener Webb
#6
Emile Hudd
Oklahoma St
#5
Team #27 W16 L9
Ewan Lumsden
Tennessee??
Says uni Washington ?? Team not doing as well as previous years
Charlie James
St Johns
#6
Oliver Okonkwo
Iowa
#4, #3
Singles wins over Mid M and Power C. Team needed new blood
Jake Penny
Lipscombe
#6,#5
Ed Pudney
Montana
#4
5 freshmen added 2018
Dan Siddal
Tulsa
#6
Wins v Mid M, losses v Power C players team Top MM recruiter #5
Josh Taylor
Lamar
#4
Tom Thelwall Jones
Tulsa
Not played
James Wilkinson
Delaware
#1
Coach looking build team Top MM recruiter #18 One of few D1 fresherman to play #1
Josh Wilson
liberty
#2
Coach looking build team team Top MM recruiter #24
Finn Bass
Baylor
Not played
Playing ITFs
Pierce Widdecombe
Dartmouth
Not played
Liam Hignett
Tennesse Tech
DNS
Wishing Liam very best wishes for the future
Alex Jochim, Indiana IUPUI anither freshman play #1singles. Not someone I'd come across before, but just beat David Stevenson (plays at #5 Uni Memphis) in the final of the Connaught Brit Tour
-- Edited by Elegant Point on Sunday 26th of May 2019 07:15:20 AM
Great analysis there, sorry been busy at work so not been able to provide details to back up my statement!
Ill try to do so over the weekend. One example though is Hannah McColgan as listed above in doubles ranking.
We did have some of our freshman really impacting what were to considered to be the best recruiting classes of this year on the womens side. Texas Tech scored highly primarily because they had recruited Nell Miller and Olivia Peet As did LSU bringing in Anna Loughlan. Nell has consistently played no 2 at Texas Tech as a freshman, great programme tough conference. She has been really tested but held her slot for 2-3 rds of the season only being displaced by a Senior over the last few weeks. She maybe carrying an injury as she has also missed a match. Olivia has also been playing regularly at no 4/5 and doing well. Obviously it depends how Texas Tech recruit but they are now both in a position to be in a position to contest that top slot as sophomores this years number 1 is a nationally ranked top 30 senior. Although statistically Nell is not ripping things up, no nationally ranking no wins etc.... from a developmental perspective things are looking pretty healthy.
Another couple of wins over the weekend for Paul Jubb finishing off his SEC regular season with a win percentage >90%. It will be interesting to see if S. Carolina get into the NCAA team tournament they will need to go well in the SEC tournament but Paul will feature in the NCAA individual singles and probably doubles too.
TCU got hammered by Texas, Ali Gray winning his doubles but losing a competitive game in the 2 slot
LSU lost to Texas A and M, Anna Loughlan got a doubles win but lost in the 6 slot. Eden didnt get to finish her singles stranded on 2-2 in the third.
Lots of Brits on court as the Utes played the Bears in the PAC12, Dan Little (No 54!) winning in the No1 slot for Utah, Jack Molloy back up to No 2 but not finishing against a very strong No 2 David Micevski (who exclusively played no 1 until displaced by Dan this year), Ben Draper wining for Cal at No 4, Joe Woolley loosing for Utah at 6 but winning his doubles.
Cal came out 4-2 winners. I have to say both Dan and Joe have got an immense amount of playing for Utah not glam by PAC 12 standards but a very decent programme in a very strong conference offering an excellent standard of tennis in the No 1 (UCLA, USC, Stanford, Orega, Cal always very strong in conference) slot a fantastic opportunity for someone.
Texas (no 7) steam rolled Texas Tech with straight set loses for Nell Miller (at no 3) 6-1 6-4 and Olivia Peet (no 6) 6-1 6-1.
Stanford (no 5) with Emily Arbuthnot (ranked 22 nationally!) not breaking sweat at No 4!!! beat both Washington Schools 4-0, she won both her singles and doubles in each match in straight sets. Emily will get a good run at everything NCAA, team and individual singles and doubles. Every player in the team slot 1-6 is nationally ranked, that is top top quality practice week in week out with an outstanding coaching team lead by an ex WTA player, heavily involved in founding the WTA. So despite not getting an opportunity at the top of the order Emily will get plenty of opportunity later. Having a top 30 junior at No 4 obviously makes Stanford a major threat in the team tournament but arguably not a good move for a player who would be one of the top recruits as a freshman but! not to be overlooked for a student athlete will be where does she rank on the PAC 12 academic teams.
-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Monday 8th of April 2019 04:25:53 AM
SEC Championships kicked off South Carolina (no 6 seeds) beating LSU, Paul Jubb clinched the doubles point winning a tie break and then beating Shane Monroe in the no 1 singles slot 6-0, 6-2. The Aggies (no 3 seeds) up next (Texas AandM)
Outside the major conferences, but a shout out for Old Dominium in the Conference USA championships starting today. They are the top seeds, and have a first round bye. Holly Hutchinson has been playing at #1 all season, and Louie McLelland has played at #5 or #6 for some matches. ODU are 17-3 for the season, and 11-0 at home.
Eden gets to fight another day as LSU beat Alabama 4-3 with the match going to the last point! Anna Loughlan won her doubles point but Eden (nationally ranked 8) went down in too Andie Daniel (44) in straight sets at the no 1 slot.
Up against no 1 Georgia next and Eden will be playing the nations no 1 ranked college player Katarina Jokic, Eden beat her in regular conference play. It is worth reflecting on how lasts years outstanding college player is now doing on the WTA, Astra Sharma and that Astra enetered college tennis as an outstanding athlete (very quick with record vertical jump for Vandy) planning to play a bit of tennis with aspirations of becoming an orthpaedic surgeon. How did it all go so wrong?
Still only a junior Holly undoubtedly could have played in a stronger conference, indeed even at no 1 for one of the weaker teams, in the three losses to Duke, LSU and Virginia all power conference teams ( they also beat Baylor) she only really looked like loosing in 2 to Maria Mateas at the time ranked 8 nationally. She took a set of Eden and beat Virginias Meghan Kelly, also nationally ranked in the third set championship tie break.
Old Dominion on the womens side have built a really strong programme by conference USA standard and recruiting players like Holly is part of that. It is possible to compete nationally in a non power conference, Pepperdine do they have a tough out of conference schedule playing all the top programmes and are surrounded by Southern PAC 12 schools, such programmes are the exception rather than the rule as you need high level competition week in week out.
Thanks for the background information Oakland. I try and keep an eye out for the results of the players who are now in their junior year, as these are the ones I watched on the British Tour just before they started college.
Those heading off Fall 2019
Men
Callum Rendell - Wofford. DEji Thomas Smith - Liberty. Martin Thomas- Texas Tyler D2. Daniel Garcia - Earlham D3. ALex Hyman - Lenoir Rhyne D2.
Women
VIctoria Allen, Sasha Hill - Florida State. ERika B Dodridge- Iowa. Elinor Beasley - N Arizona. GEmma Heath - S Carolina. Alex Hildreth- Dixie State D2. CAtriona Macintosh- Kenyon D3. ISabelle Marshall - Illinois. Mae McCutcheon. -Boise State. LIllian Mould -'Oregon. Zara Mughal - Wyoming. Keira Reuter -Texas Tech. ELoise Saraty -Liberty. ELis Van Meetern - William and Mary.
Several colleges who normally take Brits are conspicuous by their absence - Drake and Memphis.
N Arizona seems to be recruiting heavily, heard the courts/facilities are great, but altitude can take a while to get used to. Also Liberty, trying to build on the men's side, allegedly very strict, no hug may last more than 3 seconds.....
Amazing experience for all those heading off!!
Liberty is a bit .... er conservative .... by British Higher education standards. Students! Visitors, Teachers are allowed to carry concealed hand guns on campus ... something that is illegal in Virginian state schools.
PAC12 Womens Final UCLA v Stanford. Stanford 3-2 up with Emily Arbuthnot still on court into a final set playing at the No 2 slot. She clinched the regular season match in three sets.
Stop us if you've heard this one: UCLA wins the doubles point before @emilyarbuthnott clinches a comeback.
It's now happened in five straight matches. #GoStanford
SINGLES
1) No. 24 Michaela Gordon (STAN) d. No. 42 Jada Hart (UCLA) 6-4, 6-4
2) No. 32 Melissa Lord (STAN) d. No. 29 Elysia Boulton (UCLA) 7-5, 6-3
3) No. 68 Caroline Lampl (STAN) d. Ayan Broomfield (UCLA) 6-2, 6-1
4) No. 46 Emily Arbuthnott (STAN) d. Alaina Miller (UCLA) 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-0
5) No. 106 Janice Shin (STAN) led No. 118 Abi Altick (UCLA) 2-6, 6-4, 2-1, unfinished
6) Gabby Andrews (UCLA) d. No. 88 Emma Higuchi (STAN) 6-3, 6-2
Order of Finish: 3, 6, 2, 1, 4