KENNESAW, Ga. - Head Coach #T.J. Greggs# and KSU's men's tennis program announced today the signing of three incoming freshmen for the Fall of 2012.  Joining the Owls will be three international players from Europe, all of whom have extensive national, continental, and international experience.

The first future Owl is Maksim Yorsh (Minsk, Belarus).  Maksim joins the Owls after an extremely successful junior career which saw him rise as high as No. 19 in all of Europe in the Under-16 category.  He has won numerous national championships in Belarus, as well as competing at elite events internationally, including the Eddie Herr and Orange Bowl Championships in the USA. Yorsh's world ranking in International Tennis Federation (ITF) juniors has reached as high as No. 268, in 2011, at just 16 years of age.  He has won ITF Titles at the Magnolia Cup (Poland) in 2012 and in Tripoli, Libya in 2011. He has career wins over Pol Toledo Bague (#60 ITF), Aleksandr Spirin (#97 ITF), and Michal Kianicka (#102 ITF), as well as several other wins over players inside the Top 200 in the world.

"I am very excited about having Maksim, and he is very excited about the opportunity to come here and play for us," indicated Greggs.  "He's a really great guy, and is going to make a big impact on our team."

The second high school prospect joining the Owls is 6'3" Tobias Menhofer (Pfronten, Germany).  Menhofer has consistently been ranked inside the Top 10 in Bavaria throughout his junior career, and has competed in the European Tennis Association, as well as the ITF.  His highest ranking in Europe was #119 in Under-16.  He has career wins over Samuel Hutt (#68 ITF) and Lukas Mugevicius (#81 ITF) while competing in the European Tennis Association (ETA).

"The biggest thrill about having Tobias with our program is that he has already accomplished a lot without doing much traveling for tennis," continued Coach Greggs.  "He's beating Top 100 players in the world without competing in the world circuit. He's got some great upside, as well, with his build and athleticism."

The final signee for the Owls is Jorge Wilton (Ashtead, Great Britain).  Wilton, the younger brother of Loyola Marymount star Alex Wilton, comes to the Owls after playing for one of the top tennis schools in Great Britain (Reed's School).  Wilton has also competed on the European and ITF Circuits, attaining a high ranking of #451 in the ITF.  He won the doubles title at the ITF Tournament stop in Denmark in 2011, as well as in Dubai in 2009 with his brother, Alex.

"Jorge is an extremely athletic young man, who plays a variety of sports," continued Greggs.  "He is a hard worker, an outstanding young man to be around, and is going to be great to have on our team.  He's a very natural leader, and his maturity is far beyond his years."

The Owls will return five of six starters in singles next season, in addition to their new signing class.  The Owls have one weekend remaining on their 2011-12 schedule, when they face off with North Florida and Jacksonville this Friday and Saturday at Fair Oaks Tennis Center.