Dec. 8, 2008

(San Francisco, Calif.) - USF men's tennis head coach Peter Bartlett has announced the signing of two to National Letters of Intent. Joining the Dons in the fall of 2009, will be Mark DeCastro and William Schumacher.

"I am ecstatic to bring in two highly sout after recruits to help keep building on our program," said Bartlett. "I think we have two excellent recruits. Both players have the ability to make a significant impact over the next four years for our program and each possess the style of game needed to be outstanding collegiate players. At USF, I think we have a great track record of selecting players that possess the potential to make an impact at the next level and think these two definitely fit the bill."

DeCastro (Union City, California) is currently ranked top 25 in the USTA Norcal Boy's 18 and is also nationally ranked 194th overall. The senior at Moreau Catholic HS in Union City is also currently listed as a four- star recruit by www.TennisRecruiting.net.

"Mark has a very potent game with a lot of potential," commented Barlett. "We think he's going to be a nice fit for our program going forward."

Schumacher (New Orleans, La.) is currently the top ranked junior is Louisiana and is listed at 12th in the USTA Southern Section for Boys 18. This year, Schumacher competed at the USTA Clay Courts and prestigious USTA National Hard Courts competition in Kalamazoo, Mich. The senior at Benjamin Franklin HS is currently ranked 104th nationally and is listed as a four-start recruit by www.TennisRecruiting.net.

"William has some good experience and knows how to win. He's been competing in one of the toughest sections in the country and we feel that experience in going to translate well at the next level."

The Dons will open the dual match season on the road Saturday Jan. 17 when they face Portland before face Pacific-10 powerhouse Washington on Jan. 18. Both matches will be played at the Nordstrom Tennis Center in Seattle, with first serve slated for Noon.