April 12, 2006
Santa Clara, Calif. - With one swift motion of his pen, Jay Wong officially became a member of the Santa Clara men's tennis team today. A native of Cupertino, Calif. currently attending the Roddick-Moros International Tennis Academy in San Antonio, Texas, Wong signed a Letter of Intent to attend Santa Clara University and compete for the Broncos at the beginning of the 2006-07 season announced head coach George Husack. In addition to Wong, Santa Clara signed Steven Benvenuto in the early signing period to form one of the best recruiting classes in America.
"We're very happy to have Jay join our exciting group of young players. He brings a tremendous amount of success and experience at the sectional, national and international level that will have an immediate impact to our program," stated Husack regarding his prized recruit.
Wong has a wealth of national and international experience, making him a player who Husack will look to crack into the starting line-up next season. On a national level, he has been ranked as high as No. 5 in the 14s Division, No. 2 in the 16s Division, and is a Top-75 player in the 18s Division. In Northern California, Wong has even more impressive credentials, as he has been ranked No. 1 in the 14s, 16s, and 18s Division according to the Northern California Tennis Association. In addition, Wong has earned a Top-200 ranking in the International Tennis Federation junior circuit.
Wong has done very well in regional and national tournaments over the years, highlighted by a first-place finish at the United State Tennis Association National Open in the 18s Division and a runner-up finish at the NCTA 18s Sectionals. He was a singles semifinalist at the Boys 16s Easter Bowl Tournament and a finalist in both singles and doubles at the Boys 14 Easter Bowl Tournament, as well as winning the Boys 16s NCTA Sectionals.
On the high school level, Wong was a standout player at Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) prior to his matriculation at the Roddick-Moros International Tennis Academy. During his sophomore year, he won the Western Catholic Athletic League singles title, as well as the Central Coast Section singles championship. Not only was he named the Most Valuable Player at Mitty that season, but he was also honored as the San Jose Mercury News' 2004 Tennis Player of the Year.
"The NCTA has produced some good players over the years. It has been our goal to be heavily involved with their college decision process and offer them an opportunity to continue their tennis development here at Santa Clara University," commented Husack. "Jay and Steven are a very solid pair of players and we couldn't be happier with their commitments to the Broncos."
The addition of Benvenuto and Wong has also garnered national attention, as Santa Clara's two-person class is ranked No. 17 in the country according to the Tennis Recruiting Network. Santa Clara is among elite company according to TRN, as California, Duke, North Carolina, Southern California, Texas, and Virginia also made their way onto the list. Together with an already solid freshman class of Brian Brogan, Tommy Hicks, Kenzo Hirakawa-Wong, and Aneal Vallurupalli, Wong and Benvenuto will undoubtedly make the Broncos a strong force in the following years, not only in the West Coast Conference, but on the national stage as well.
"It's nice to see that our recruiting efforts are being noticed and in company with a lot of very good tennis programs. We've made a commitment to competing with the top schools because we strongly feel that Santa Clara has so much to offer and is a great place for the college tennis experience," said Husack. "We have a solid nucleus of players that have the potential to accomplish many things and it depends on how we go about bringing it to reality."