Three Newcomers Join Women's Tennis
August 10, 2010 | Women's Tennis
Aug. 10, 2010
BOSTON - The Boston University women's tennis team will welcome three freshmen to the roster for the 2010-11 season, 26th-year head coach Lesley Sheehan announced Tuesday. Leonie-Charlotte Athanasiadis, Kendal Drake and Mely Martinez join a squad that returns five of the six singles players that helped the Terriers reach the NCAA tournament for the 12th consecutive season in May.
Hailing from Haltern, Germany, the 5-foot-5 Athanasiadis is the third ranked ITF juniors player to be recruited from Europe in the last three years by Sheehan. She joins 2010 America East Championship Most Outstanding Player Petra Santini (Poland) and No. 3 singles player Vivien Laszloffy (Hungary).
A three-star recruit according to TennisRecruiting.net, Drake was born in London and grew up in Singapore for 12 years before moving to Hilton Head, S.C. with her family. Standing 5-foot-8, she spent three years with the Van Der Meer Tennis Academy and one with the Smith Stearns Tennis Academy. Her older brother, Ryan, competes at Drake University.
Previously named South Florida Sun-Sentinel Player of the Year, Martinez is a five-star recruit with experience at both singles and doubles. Standing 5-foot-3, she captured two district titles and one state championship at Cypress Bay H.S. in Weston, Fla.
The Terriers will have a total of nine women on the roster and will look to capture their 18th-straight America East title this season.
