Jan. 28, 2008
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s tennis team has the No. 7 ranked recruiting class according the winter rankings by the Tennis Recruiting Network, with two five-star athletes committed to the Irish. Stanford topped the list in the No. 1 spot with Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia and USC filling in the two through six rankings in between.
Casey Watt and Samuel Keeton have both signed with Notre Dame, rounding out the seventh-ranked class in the nation. Watt hails from Gibsonia, Pa., where he attends Pine Richland High School, while Keeton is a Kansas City, Kan., native and attends Pembroke Hill. Each have signed national letters of intent to enroll at Notre Dame next year and join the Irish tennis team in the fall. Both are ranked among the top 20 current high school seniors in the country.
“All of us involved with Notre Dame Tennis are absolutely thrilled to add Sam and Casey to our program,” said head coach Bobby Bayliss. “They both will bring great character and awesome attitudes to our team, as well as the ability to contribute right away. With additions like these, we know that the foundation of Notre Dame Tennis is strong.”
Watt is the 12th-ranked player in the country and top-ranked from the state of Pennsylvania by the Tennis Recruiting Network, the nation’s most comprehensive source for information about tennis recruiting. He has reached as high as No. 1,141 in the world in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior Rankings, and currently stands at No. 1,218.
Watt has reached the finals of five major junior events in the last year, winning the St. Louis Gateway Championship, L4 18-and-under Section Championship on two separate occasions, while posting an overall record of 45-14 in singles, including an 26-13 record against other TennisRecruiting.net blue-chip (11-6) and five-star (15-7) recruits. He has recorded victories over three of the top six-ranked senior players in the nation.
Keeton is the 19th-ranked player in the country and top-ranked from the state of Missouri by the Tennis Recruiting Network, the nation’s most comprehensive source for information about tennis recruiting. He has compiled a 48-12 juniors record in 2007, including a 19-8 record against other TennisRecruiting.net blue-chip (5-5) and five-star (14-3) recruits.
Keeton captured six major junior tournaments, including five consecutive events. He took home individual honors at the USTA National Opens, USTA Missouri Valley Sweet 16, USTA Missouri Valley Super 2 and two USTA Missouri Valley Outdoor Futures.
— ND —