Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Men's tennis welcomes three new players
08/25/2015 | 12:00:00 | Men's Tennis
By Tony McDaniel
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill.-- While professors and faculty welcome new students to SIU, Dann Nelson is welcoming three new players to the men's tennis team. Wilder Pimentel, Shane Trebisky, and Thomas Kyle are all settling into their first weeks as Salukis. Pimentel and Trebisky join SIU as transfers and Kyle is a true freshman.
"We're very excited about all three of these guys," Nelson said. "They can all contribute to the program. We're hoping for good things from all of them."
Pimentel, who joins the team as a junior, brings experience to a roster dominated by underclassmen. The Lima, Peru, native spent the first two years of his collegiate tennis career at Virginia Commonwealth University, a Division I program.
As a Ram, Pimentel earned All-Atlantic-10 conference honors while helping his team to the A-10 Conference Finals against George Washington last season. The ITF ranked Pimentel as high as 298th. He has also competed in the Junior Davis Cup.
"We're really excited that Wilder is coming to SIU because we know he can help us," Nelson said. "It's great to have a transfer come in and help us. We expect him to be one of our top guys going into the spring."
Another transfer, Shane Trebisky, joins the Salukis as a sophomore. Trebisky brings a highly decorated tennis resume to SIU. Last season, at Meridian Community College, Trebisky was the team captain and posted a 25-3 record on his way to a regional championship.
The Lubbock, Texas, native placed third at the Texas High School State Tournament as a junior. He was named an All-State selection in the same season.
Trebisky was named an Academic All-American last season and also earned the distinction as Meridian Community College's 2015 Scholar Athlete of the Year. Last year, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association gave Trebisky the ITA/Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship.
Trebisky volunteered with Tennis Across America, a program that teaches underprivileged children how to play tennis. Shane's father, Dave Trebisky, makes his living as a tennis coach.
"I saw Shane play at the JUCO Nationals and was pretty impressed." Nelson said. "He's hungry to play. He saw the potential we have in our team and he wants to be a part of it."
Thomas Kyle, from Liverpool, England, was Nelson's first signing of the year and is the team's only freshman, but he will join Rigby and Sophomore Peter Molloy as the third player from England.
At the amateur level, Kyle has been one of Great Britain's top prospects. He was the 20th ranked under-20 player in Great Britain and was ranked as high as No. 5 at the under-16 level. He was also the Lancashire 14-and-under champion. Kyle has trained with three-time Grand Slam champion Virginia Wade as well as former pros Coco Vandeweghe and Greg Rusedski. Kyle was also a ball boy at the 2012 ATF World Finals in London and also a Davis Cup match between Poland and Tunisia.
Tennis wasn't the only sport Kyle played growing up. In soccer, Kyle was part of the prestigious Liverpool Football Club's youth academy for four years. He also is a black belt in karate that won silver in 2009 and bronze in 2010 at the Great Britain Karate National Championships. Kyle also played Rugby on his school team from 2008-12.
Nelson said Jonny Rigby played a large part in Kyle's recruitment to SIU. Rigby lives near Kyle and he was able to describe life at Southern to Kyle as well as train with him during the offseason.
"[Kyle] is known as a feisty guy who tries really hard," Nelson said. "He was highly recommended from some guys who played college tennis in the U.S. who are now on the pro tour."
