Nov. 18, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State men's tennis head coach Todd Doebler officially announced the signing of two TennisRecruiting.net five-star recruits. Russell Bader (Austin, Texas) and Harry Seaborn (North Salem, N.Y.) will suit up for the Nittany Lions beginning in the 2010-2011 season.
"We are very excited to have Harry and Russell joining the Penn State family," said Doebler. "Both of these guys should be able to help us to continue to take this program to new levels."
Bader joins Penn State as the No. 28 recruit according to TennisRecruiting.net. He comes from Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, where he currently owns an overall record of 56-25 record, including a 19-9 record vs. five-star recruits. Bader currently ranks as the fourth best player in the state of Texas and is currently No. 44 in the USTA 18 and Under National Rankings.
"Russell was a very highly recruited player out of Texas and I am thrilled that he decided to come to Penn State," said Doebler. "Even though he is a top 30 recruit, his best tennis is still ahead of him. Russell will come in and make an immediate impact on our program in both singles and doubles."
Seaborn joins the Nittany Lion tennis team as the No. 46 recruit according to TennisRecruiting.net. The New York native current plays at North Salem High School, where he owns an overall record of 58-34. The right-handed five-star prospect holds a strong 4-4 record vs. Blue-Chip recruits, and a 32-26 combined record vs. five and four star recruits. Seaborn is ranked 50th in the USTA 18 and Under National Rankings.
"Harry will be a great addition to our program both on and off the court," said Doebler. He is a very hard worker and loves to compete on the court. We can see him having an impact as a freshman. There is a lot of upside to Harry's game and we are looking forward to having him here at Penn State."
The Nittany Lions just completed their fall season, going a combined 41-33 in singles action and 26-9 in doubles action. Penn State recently captured both doubles championships at the Big Ten Indoors. Sophomore Jason Lee (Melbourne, Australia) and junior Eddie Bourchier (Hobart, Australia) along with senior Guillaume St-Maurice (Saint Eustache, Quebec) and sophomore Taylor Cohen (Philadelphia, Pa.) were crowned doubles champs in East Lansing, Mich. Lee reached the semifinals in singles action.
Doebler returns seven players from last year's team, including four starters. Penn State finished last season 14-13, the program's seventh consecutive winning season. Doebler carries a 46-32 record as head coach of the Nittany Lions.
Penn State will begin dual match play on Jan. 24 with a doubleheader matchup at home with Princeton and Lehigh.