Tiger tennis team has sights set on a national championship

Returning six sophomores to go along with a talented recruiting class, the Cowley College men's tennis team enters the 2021 season ranked second in the NJCAA Division I behind only top-ranked Tyler Junior College.

"According to the rankings this is the best (NJCAA Division I) team in the history of Cowley tennis," Cowley head coach Manuel Raga said.

All-American Jack Clements returns and will serve as the team captain. Along with Clements, fellow sophomores Alejandro Orihuela, Javier Gonzalez, and Carlos Castillo are each ranked nationally in singles.

Other sophomores on the team are Patrick McGee and Hayden Brauer.

"The sophomores gained a lot of experience last year and will be a huge key to our success this year," Raga said.

Freshmen Taiyo Hirano from Japan, Takeshi Taco from Peru, and Andoni Garmendia from Chile, were all top players in their country.

"I am really excited about this freshman class and the experience they have competing at the national and international level," Raga said.

Other freshmen on the team are, Joe Blake, Aymeric Bruno, Arthur Hernandes, Braden Hilario, Colby Klotz, Anastasis Lavdas, Jay Liang, and Colin Rowton.

"We were really strong in singles last year. This year, we have a lot of new guys that are both doubles and singles players," Raga said. "We have so much talent that we will push each other in practice. We have 10 or more guys that could go on and play at the NCAA Division I level."

Raga recruited players from Kansas, Oklahoma, Taiwan, Argentina, Japan, Brazil, Chile, Australia, Venezuela, and France.

"I have worked hard, day in and day out, recruiting players from all over," Raga said. "The freshman should make a huge impact and put us in position to compete for a national championship."

With the 2020 season cut short due to Covid-19, Raga said the team has done a good job of overcoming the challenges they have faced.

"This year has been crazy for all of us, but the players have done a great job of adapting to a new situation," Raga said. "We hope our hard work will pay off in the spring."