College of Coastal Georgia issued the following announcement on Jan. 13.
The College of Coastal Georgia Men's Tennis team is prepared for success in the 2022 season after two abnormal years affected by COVID and unexpected injuries. Last season the team finished the 2021 season receiving votes on the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll. despite their 2-4 record. All of the team's losses came from teams receiving votes or ranked and three of the four losses were by a 4-3 score, losing by only one line.
The Mariners compete in an extremely tough field in the Sun Conference competing against the No. 5 and No. 18 ranked team and two other teams receiving votes. Despite that challenge, Head Coach Zack Rogers is ready for the season and is pushing his team to get back to where they were in their first three years in the Sun Conference: Competing for a Tournament Title.
The Mariners return five of their key players from last season and have added two talented players to bolster their roster.
Returning for the Mariners are seniors Arthur Figuiere, Bautista Chiaradia and Mohamed Belcora and juniors Lucas Landaluce and Felix Arroyo Viglino.
"We return five guys from last year's team so each of them brings the experience necessary to reach our goals," said Rogers, "If all five guys can work together to accomplish unified team goals, if they are selfless as opposed to selfish, this could be a special year."
Figuiere is entering his third season with the Mariners, exercising his right to a fifth COVID year. For the past two seasons, he has played in the number one doubles and singles lines. Last season he finished with a 4-2 singles record and a 5-1 doubles record. He was named an ITA NAIA Scholar-Athlete, Academic All-Sun Conference, and Sun Conference first team.
"With Arthur, you always know he is going to give everything on the court," said Head Coach Zack Rogers. "He is the quintessential team player, never making it about himself. In the classroom, he is an Academic All-American and he understands that his degree is his pathway to success once his playing days are over. Arthur is extremely coachable, respectful, and always willing to help. I am extremely grateful that Arthur chose to return to Coastal Georgia to make use of the extra season of competition the NAIA awarded student-athletes after the pandemic shutdown in the 2019-2020 season. Arthur is a leader on and off the court and if the College of Coastal Georgia had a Student-Athlete Hall of Fame he would surely be a part of it."
This season will be Chiaradia's fifth season with the Mariners. Last season he played the second singles line and the third doubles line. He finished last season with a 1-5 singles record but a 3-3 doubles record.
"Bautista is an extremely talented player who brings his zest for life to the team and to the court. He has the potential to have a big game built around his serve, forehand, and backhand slice. Bautista has been a work in progress since he arrived in Brunswick, and each year he has made significant gains both on the court and in the classroom. He will really be the 'X-Factor' when it comes to what this team can achieve this season. Bautista has endured a lot to be such a young guy, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for his resolve in resilience," said Rogers.
Belcora played his first season with the 2021 Mariners after transferring from Bluefield State College. Belcora played in the third singles line finishing with a 3-1 record. He was named second team All-Sun Conference last season.
"Simo's tennis IQ is through the roof, he has a very advanced understanding of tennis strategy, playing styles, and full pallet of shots he can execute. He is a very competitive player, but always keeps his emotions in check and has a great poker face. He is a tough out for any opponent and you are going to have to be willing to suffer if you want to get a win against him. I feel like Simo's opponents must feel like Sisyphus, investing so much time and effort into each point, only to see their work be fruitless time and time again. He is systematic and deliberate in his approach to matches, relentless and tireless in how he breaks the will of his opponents. Simo is a tremendous asset to our team and to the college," said Rogers.
Landaluce competed in this first season with the Mariners last year after transferring from New Mexico State University. He played primarily in the first doubles line and third singles line. He finished the season with a 2-4 singles record and a 4-2 doubles record.
"Lucas came from New Mexico State and brought all the weapons you expect of a DI player: huge serve, big forehand, steady backhand, and great hands. He is a player who I believe has a huge upside. He joined our program last year and I feel like he is far more comfortable on the court this year. I think he is someone who can really be an anchor for us in doubles and singles, it is just finding the spot in the lineup that is going to give him the matchups that are going to be conducive to him being successful. He is another player who I feel is going to see continued positive gains in both his play and his coursework. I believe this spring can be a breakout season for him, where his results match up to the high level of talent and ability he clearly has.
Arroyo Viglino completed his sophomore season with the Mariners last year, but it was his first at the College of Coastal Georgia. He played in the third and fourth singles lines and the third doubles line. He was named Sun Conference Player to Watch for the 2021 season and was honored as an ITA Men's NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
"Felix is one of the hardest workers I have ever been around. He has the work ethic and resolves to succeed at anything he wants to do in life. He listens, he doesn't mind criticism, he actively learns from his experiences, he puts in the necessary work, and he reaches his goals. Felix is a quiet leader, methodically going about his work, but always working towards positive gains. In the classroom, I challenged him to be an Academic All-American, and like any other challenge I put in front of him, he got the desired results. Felix is someone who I would always want for my team, whether we are talking about athletics on in a business setting. If I was told tomorrow the position of my assistant coach was available, he would be the first person on my list," said Rogers.
The new additions to the 2022 team are Ramon Ferrer and Gonza Tano. Both Martinez and Tano are freshmen.
"If Ramon and Gonza are able to come in and take lines from day one, it will go a long way to getting us back to where we want to be in the conference and the national rankings," said Rogers.
"If I were going to use one word to describe Ramon's game it would be 'Explosive.'" Said Coach Rogers. "The ball just explodes off his racquet. I think the big challenge for Ramon is learning how to use it, when to use it, and finding the balance of risk versus reward. I honestly think the sky is the limit for his playing career. He has the ability and the weapons to beat any player in the NAIA, but again, whether this happens or not is going to come down to his ability to analyze situations, and then make the right decision. Ramon is a good listener, he is coachable, and he is just an all-around good guy. From a shot-making standpoint, he is going to be in very limited company within the NAIA this season. It will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure of competing within a team dynamic, but I am confident he is going to make a big splash in the college tennis world this spring."
"With Gonza, it is going to be all about bringing new energy to the team. He is coming in with plenty of high-level competitive experience. He is a guy who is going to make a ton of balls and he is going to be a big benefit to the team both in practice and in matches. Anytime you have someone joining the team in the spring there is a certain level of uncertainty, but what I do know is that he has a ton of talent, he is excited to be coming to Coastal Georgia, and he is showing up on day one with the goal of being in the lineup and winning matches. That in itself will add level competitiveness to our practices and guys are going to have to fight to be in the lineup this year. That is something that has been missing the last few years and I am excited to see it," said Rogers.
The Mariners' goals for the season are first and foremost to be studs in the classroom. Coach Rogers' focus on academics is evident and he stated that he would like all of his athletes to achieve the status of Academic All-American. Rogers also joked that he would like to see his Men's team challenge his Women's team for the highest GPA in the athletic department – an accolade they have had for over three years.
"Obviously, I want to see these guys grow as young men and reach their full potential on and off the court," added Rogers, "To do that they are going to have to commit to one another and commit to helping each other get better. If we can do that, if we can be selfless and put the team first, we will take care of business on the court, we will compete for a conference title, we will make a trip to Mobile for the National Tournament, and we will get back to where our program belongs in the National Rankings."
This season Coach Rogers is excited to get to play a full season for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
"We are potentially going to have all six teams on the men's side of the conference ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25. We were missing Simo for the bulk of the season last year and we ended up losing 3-4 to Southeastern, Ave Maria, and St. Thomas – so we are looking for a little playback this year in those three matches. At the end of the year, we want to find ourselves battling Keiser again in the finals of the Conference tournament," added Rogers.
The big thing that Coach Rogers wanted to stress where the team's top priorities.
"Our priorities are academics, servant leadership, competing with integrity, in a way that shows our appreciation for the opportunity to represent the College of Coastal Georgia and the Golden Isles. All our student-athletes and I are lucky and blessed to be a part of the program and we want to make sure that we carry ourselves like champions and ambassadors of the college, win or lose," added Rogers.
Original source can be found here.
Source: College of Coastal Georgia
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