Tennis Head Coach Jonathan Zych continued to build on his team’s recent success with the announcement of the signing of two new players, Madison Cook and Natalia Yacaman, on Tuesday, Nov. 29.
Cook and Yacaman join a Billiken team that posted a 14-6 record last season and was runner-up at the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship, the best finish in program history.
The pair filed their National Letters of Intent to attend Saint Louis University and compete for the Billikens beginning next fall. Both players will have four years of eligibility.
Cook, an Edgewood, Ky. native, is a TennisRecruiting.net 4-star recruit and is rated the website’s top senior prospect from Kentucky.
In doubles play, she placed third at a USTA National Open Tournament and at the Midwest Open Championships in the 16s division, and she also finished third at the 2010 Kentucky State Tournament. Cook received the Sportsmanship Award at the 2009 USTA Zonals.
“Madison’s senior recruiting RPI of 120, plus her recent win over the nation’s No. 55 sophomore, indicate that she has the potential to make a powerful impact on our program,” Zych said. “She has demonstrated her doubles prowess by placing third in a National Open event. We have high expectations for Madison.”
Yacaman calls Cartagena, Colombia, home, and she will join freshman and fellow Colombian Maria Toro Moreno on the roster.
A winner of 15 national junior titles, Yacaman has been ranked among the top three junior players in Colombia for three consecutive years. She represented her country in the Junior Fed Cup South America tournament and competed in the Orange Bowl International Championships, one of the world’s most prestigious junior tournaments.
Despite coming from a non-native speaking land, Yacaman should thrive in the academic environment at SLU.
She is a National Honor Society member and has earned awards in Spanish, philosophy, physics and biology at her high school. Yacaman also received her school’s Citizenship Award, given to one student from each course in recognition of community service and civic engagement.
“Natalia has experience in winning international matches,” Zych said. “She is regarded as one of the top players in Colombia, and we expect her to make an immediate impact at SLU.”
The current squad returns to action on Friday, Jan. 20 to take on Wright State at 1:45 p.m. on their home courts at the Sunset Tennis Center.