Nov. 15, 2012
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Prep standouts Josh Hagar and Eddy Covalschi have signed National Letters of Intent (NLIs) and will join the University of Notre Dame men’s tennis program as part of the class of 2017, associate head coach Ryan Sachire announced on Thursday.
“We couldn’t be more excited about the additions of Eddy and Josh to our program moving forward,” said Sachire. “Throughout their fantastic high school and junior tennis careers, both young men have demonstrated the characteristics necessary to be elite student-athletes at Notre Dame. Both have tremendously high goals for their collegiate careers and beyond, and both will do an amazing job representing Notre Dame on and off the court.”
Hagar, an Austin, Texas native, was a five-star recruit in the class of 2012, and is spending the 2012-13 year at the Austin Tennis Academy training under the direction of Jack Newman.
This past summer Hagar was one of four players nationally that earned the prestigious Bill Talbert Jr. Sportsmanship Award, which was presented to him at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I.
The Bill Talbert Junior Sportsmanship Award is presented to “a junior player who exemplifies the finest qualities of sportsmanship in tournament play and the finest traditions of the great sportspersons of tennis past and present.”
One of the main reasons Hagar won this award was due to his extensive fundraising work he did for the Glimmer of Hope charity that benefits people in Ethiopia.
Josh is the son of Jeff and Carol Hagar.
“Josh possesses one of the most versatile and well-rounded games of any prospect in the country,” said Sachire. “His physical balance and diverse shot selection give him the ability to be dangerous from any position on the court, and the foundation that his coach (Jack Newman) has given to his game will enable him to develop into a top college player.”
A Shelby Township, Mich., native, Covalschi is a five-start recruit in the class of 2013, who has been ranked as high as 15th in his class. Covalschi trains with elite private coaches Tom Walker and Grant Asher and recently won the Division I state tennis championship as the No. 2 seed after defeating Northville High’s Tyler Gardiner (6-2, 7-5) to become Eisenhower High’s first state singles crown. Covalschi beat the previous two state singles champions on the way to his title in his first and only year of high school tennis. He finished 22-0 on the year.
Eddy is the son of Ovidiu and Daniela Covalschi.
“The two aspects of Eddy’s game that set him apart are his physical explosiveness and his ability to hurt you off of both the forehand and backhand wings,” said Sachire. “Being groomed by two of the best private coaches in the country, Eddy will come to Notre Dame with a great base of knowledge and an ability to be successful at this level the minute he steps onto campus.”
Coming off a strong fall season, the Irish open their spring campaign on Saturday, Jan. 19 when they welcome in BIG EAST foe Marquette and Western Illinois to Eck Tennis Center.
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