Sept. 4, 2007

Fairfield, CT - Sacred Heart men's tennis coach Paul Gagliardi has announced that the Pioneers will welcome six new players when the team takes the court this fall. The rookie group includes two Connecticut players and a group that brings experince playing all over the world.

Kirill Kasyanov (Yonkers, NY) attended high school in Florida at Saddlebrook Prep for the last two years. He was ranked in the top 10 in the eastern section in the boys 16 and under and 150 in the nation. Internationally he was ranked as high as 670 in the world.

Cole Conrad (Fairfield, CT) also attended high school in Florida at Saddlebrook Prep. He is considered one of the top recruits from Connecticut. Conrad has national and international tournament experience.

Nick Mazzarese (Stonington, CT) attended Stonington High School. He was the CIAC Class M state singles tournament champion in 2007. Also joining the team is Michael Syer (Ontario, Canada) who is an accomplished player from Canada. He has been ranked in the top 10 in Ontario and has won many national tournaments in Canada.

Chris Ujkic (Mattituck, NY) comes to Sacred Heart following a strong career at Mattituck High School. He was rated as one of the top players from Long Island.

Jinal Shah (Mombassa, Kenya) comes to SHU from Kenya by way of the Citadel. One of the top ranked juniors in Kenya, Shah was ranked as high as 736 in the world in the ITF Junior Rankings. He has international experience playing tournaments all over Africa.

Gagliardi also announced that seniors Chris McDonnell (Naugatuck, CT) and Joseph Merendino (Bronx, NY) will serve as team captains for the 2007-08 season.

The Pioneers open their fall slate this Sunday at the Fairfield Doubles Invitational.