Men's Tennis attracts first four D-I signees

Tommie Men's Tennis coach Ken Cychosz has added his fourth signee to his program's first Division I recruiting class.

Alexandre Mitterand of Paris, France is the latest to sign a letter of intent.

He joins Noah White and Darius Ektefhar, who signed letters of intent during the university's first participation in National Signing Day, and Will Ulrich, the third prospect to ink, with a signing later in November.

The four will be part of St. Thomas tennis' first newcomer class for 2021-22 when it debuts next school year in the Summit League in NCAA Division I.

Alexandre Mitterrand

Now living in Port St. Lucie, Fla., Mitterand competed in Paris' Club Med Academies. He has a 4.00 grade-point average, and has lived and studied in Florida the last four years to follow a dream to compete in NCAA Division I tennis.
Current Home: Port St Lucie, Florida

"Alexandre has several wins over blue-chip athletes in the United States," Cychosz said. "When you first watch Alex, you see tremendous racquet control, creativity, and athletic ability. Some of his results in the United States are very impressive. Alex and I hit it off right away -- he was very persistent in his commitment to the university, and will be a great fit. We welcome Alex."

Noah White
White is a two-time Wisconsin team champion and individual state qualifier.

"Noah comes highly recommended," Cychosz said. "I love that he really wants to be a Tommie and pursued this opportunity with commitment. It matches his extremely persistent playing style. It is awesome to see his competitiveness and also see what a great person he is off the court."

Darius Ektefhar
Comes to St. Thomas from Cyprus, where he is currently on the Cyprus National Team and a former Cyprus national doubles champion. "Darius and I immediately had a great connection," Cychosz said. "He is really attracted to what St Thomas can offer him on and off the court. His work on the Cyprus National Team and work ethic has been noticed. Darius will be a great cultural fit."

Will Ulrich
Ulrich is a multiple state champion and all-state honoree in Nebraska and played on two state title teams. An Academic All-State honoree, he's also been an active volunteer in Special Olympics and has completed more than six half marathons.

"Will is very excited about his opportunity to compete at St. Thomas," said Cychosz. "Will is currently ranked third among Nebraska players, and his game will easily transition to the Division I level. "I believe Will isn't even close to reaching his ceiling yet, so we're very excited to have him join our program."

Looking Ahead
The Tommies received NCAA approval last July to make an unprecedented direct move of all of its varsity sports from non-scholarship NCAA Division III into Division I.

Starting in the 2021-22 school year, St. Thomas Tennis will be among 19 sports competing in the Summit League. The Tommies will also have teams in the Pioneer Football League for football; its women's hockey team in the Women's Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA); and its men's hockey team in the inaugural season of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA).

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Fans can follow athletic recruiting news here on Tommiesports.com as well as on the St. Thomas Athletics' Twitter, Facebook and Instagram social media channels. To learn more about this week's signing classes, follow our teams on social media - https://tommiesports.com/socialaccounts.aspx

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