Crowell Adds Three for 2020

NORMAN – Oklahoma men's tennis head coach Nick Crowell welcomed three new Sooners to the program Friday at the beginning of the early signing period. The class of 2020 includes Nathan Han, Welsh Hotard and Justin Schlageter.

"This class is very strong and also very deep," said Crowell. "All three guys have won at the highest level. All three guys also bring different strengths to the table which will be nice for the development of the program. I'm excited to get to work with all of these great young men in Norman very soon!"

The class includes top-10 Blue Chip recruits Han and Hotard and world No. 41 junior Schlageter.

2019 marks the fourth straight year that Crowell has signed at least one top-10 Blue Chip American recruit following Jake Van Emburgh in 2016; Mason Beiler in 2017; and Mark Mandlik for 2018. This is the first time in Crowell's tenure that OU has signed two Blue Chips in Han and Hotard.

Nathan Han - Tulsa, Okla.

The No. 1 prospect in Oklahoma, Han will be the first Sooner state native to sign with OU since All-American Spencer Papa in 2014. Han has won a combined seven ITF singles and doubles titles as a junior. Han was also recognized with the Boys 18 and Under National Wes Richards Sportsmanship Award at Kalamazoo in 2019.

High UTR of 13.44
Career-high 110 ITF junior ranking
Rated as high as No. 2 according to tennisrecruiting.net

Crowell on Han:

"We are so excited to add Nathan Han to the Sooner family. He embodies everything we are looking for in a recruit and has that OUDNA. Nathan was one of the most highly-recruited athletes in the country, visiting many of the top programs, and I'm really excited Nathan chose to stay home and represent the Sooner Nation. We connected with Nathan during the recruiting process and we have extreme belief in his playing ability and leadership characteristics."

Welsh Hotard - New Orleans, La.

Blue Chip recruit Hotard comes to Norman as the top prospect in Louisiana and the No. 2 recruit in the South. The New Orleans product brought home the 2019 PanAm ITF Grade 1 title in October without dropping a set in the tournament. He also won 2019 ITF Grade 4 singles and doubles titles in Atlanta and was a doubles quarterfinalist at Kalamazoo.

Current USTA Boys 8 and Under No. 3
High UTR of 13.1
Career-high 109 ITF junior ranking
Rated as high as No. 8 according to tennisrecruiting.net

Crowell on Hotard:

"Welsh Hotard is one of the more electric and talented players in the nation. His lefty game and huge serve are going to be tough for teams to handle. Welsh also has all the characteristics that we look for in a player and definitely has that OUDNA. Over the last year, there may not be a hotter guy in the junior circuit and we can't wait to see him in the Crimson and Cream."

Justin Schlageter - Albbruck, Germany

Schlageter brings high-level experience to Norman. The German prospect has made appearances at three of the four junior Grand Slam events, playing in the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. Schlageter was a finalist at the 2018 Orange Bowl and made a run to the 2018 European Championships round of 16. Schlageter took home the singles title at the 2018 ITF Grade 2 in Austria as well as a doubles title at the 2019 ITF Grade 2 in Germany, and was a Grade 2 finalist in Slovakia.
Schlageter will join the Sooners in January in time for spring duals.

High UTR of 13.6
Career-high 41 ITF ranking
Former German National Champion and top-ranked player in Germany

Crowell on Schlageter:

"Justin brings a wealth of international experience combined with professional work ethic to Norman. He has played in three of the junior Grand Slams worldwide and has won some of the bigger events around the world. Justin has a very solid game with a lot of firepower for his size. We knew right away that Justin would fit right in with our culture and values."

Also coming to Norman in January is Alex Martinez, who signed with the 2019 class. Martinez, who hails from Spain, owns a career-high ITF ranking of 93; 1,063 career-high ATP; and a high UTR of 13.56.

Martinez made the quarterfinals at the 2018 European Championships and won a doubles championship at the Grade 1 ITF event in Casablanca, Morocco.

The Sooners will return to the court in January for spring duals. A schedule will be released at a later date.

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