“We had set the bar very high with this recruiting class and we’re looking for talented players that exhibit the kind of character we look for in our players,” said Dubois. “We are very pleased that we were able to bring in some very seasoned players who have exhibited a lot of success in college tennis. We graduated some exceptional players and leaders, but we feel great about the group we have coming in.”
Three of the incoming players are from the state of North Carolina and the group of six joins Augie Ballantine, who committed to UNCW earlier this year.
Joseph Wayand (Cary, N.C.) joins the program following three seasons at NC State. While with the Wolfpack, Wayand earned NCAA All-America honors in doubles in 2023 and that season advanced to the third round of the NCAA Doubles Tournament. That season he achieved a national ranking of 14th and was a semifinalist in singles at the 2023 ITA Carolina Regional. Wayand’s highest UTR is 12.81.
Dubois on Wayand: “I believe Joseph is the first All-American that we have ever had in our program. He has beaten some of the top players in the country in both singles and doubles and brings some exceptional experience with him.”
Sam Nicholson (Brighton, England) transfers to the UNCW program after spending three seasons at UNC Asheville. Nicholson earned First Team All-Big South singles honors during his sophomore and junior seasons with the Bulldogs while playing in the top two positions. Most recently, he advanced to the Main Draw of the M25 Pensacola Future. His highest UTR is 12.84.
Dubois on Nicholson: “Sam is extremely committed and a very hard worker. He has demonstrated the ability to beat some of the best players in college tennis. We are very excited about getting him in our environment and shots at the best players.”
Lukas Steffen (Cary, N.C.) spent his first two seasons at Campbell, where he posted a 12-4 record during the spring for the Camels, all coming at the top three positions. Steffen was ranked as high as #30 by Tennisrecruiting.net during his senior season in high school and was the second-ranked recruit in the state of North Carolina. His top UTR is 12.09.
Dubois on Steffen: “We have had to coach against Lukas a few times and we are very happy that he is now one of us. He has a huge upside and an excellent work ethic. Lukas was extremely strong for Campbell in their top 3, but I believe his best tennis is still ahead of him. We’re excited about seeing what he can do.”
Alexander Thompson (Claremon Fan Court, England) competed at Marist College his first two seasons and earned First Team All-MAAC for the Red Foxes. Last spring he finished 8-2 while playing among the top three positions.
Dubois on Thompson: “His coaches at Marist spoke highly of how quickly he has improved and his commitment to reaching his potential. He has had an excellent trajectory and has been a win-machine for Marist for the last 2 years. Had the highest UTR on the Marist team and has been a consistent All-Conference performer. He will be a great team guy and excited to see what he can do.”
Oscar Baumgartner (Grandvaux, Switzerland) comes to UNCW after being ranked 471 at the Junior ITF level and was a top-100 player in the Spanish Men’s Rankings.
Dubois on Baumgartner: “Oscar has demonstrated the ability to beat some very of the best juniors in the world. He is an excellent competitor, and we think will be an exceptional college player.”
William Dean (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) was ranked in the top 700 in Juniors ITF and achieved the highest ranking of 212 by Tennisrecruiting.net. Dean has captured one ITF doubles and was a finalist at an ITF event.
Dubois on Dean: “We were very impressed when watching William play. He has a huge amount of upside and is a big guy with a big powerful game. He has enjoyed a lot of success internationally in doubles. I think he will develop extremely well in our environment, and we are looking forward to big things from him.”
