Marquette University Athletics
Men's Tennis Brings In Talented Newcomers
9/21/1999 12:00:00β―AM | Men's Tennis
Sept. 13, 1999
MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Marquette men?s tennis coach David Staniford announced today that four recruits have signed national letters of intent to play tennis for the Golden Eagles beginning this fall. The foursome includes Kent Davies (Waukesha, Wis. / South), Justin Holson (Milwaukee, Wis.), Christophe Van Der Gucht (Waasmunster, Belgium / OLVC) and Eric Vescuso (Scottsdale, Ariz. / Brophy Prep), bringing a diverse array of tennis experience to the Marquette roster.
?This is our best recruiting class in the seven years that I have been at Marquette,? Staniford said. ?Each of these players has experience at elite levels and should help us immediately. Add them to what was already a solid returning group and we should have one of our strongest squads in years.?
Davies comes to Marquette after taking Waukesha Player of the Year honors following his senior season at Waukesha South. The 5-9 freshman helped the Blackshirts place in the state playoffs in each of his sophomore (fifth), junior (fifth) and senior (fourth) seasons. Davies also was a Junior Davis Cup team member for three years.
Holson arrives on campus following a stellar career on the juniors circuit. Among his career highlights are a #1 ranking among the 16-and under players in Wisconsin.
After spending a semester on campus as an exchange student a year ago, Van Der Gucht returns to Marquette as a grad student with one year of eligibility remaining. By the age of 16, he had risen to a #6 national juniors ranking in Belgium. The 6-4 Van Der Gucht currently has a national ranking of #50 in the men?s open division. Having graduated from the University of Antwerp with a degree in applied economics, Van Der Gucht is now pursuing his MBA in business at Marquette.
Vescuso comes to Marquette from southwestern prep power Brophy College in Phoenix. The Broncos earned the state title his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, while Vescuso formed one-half of the state doubles championship team as a sophomore. He was ranked among the Top 5 in the Southwest for four straight seasons and was ranked #1 in doubles in the Southwest for three years.
?This group should combine with a solid returning core to give us one of the strongest teams we?ve had here,? Staniford said. ?I?m excited about this season. We?ve always been strong at home, with a 32-6 record in my six years, and now we have a schedule with a majority of home dates. All of these factors should help us step up this season.?
