San Antonio – The St. Mary’s men’s tennis program continues to strengthen its foundation, adding to its lineup for next season a four-star recruit in Michael Maciel.

Hailing from Sugar Land, Texas, the George Ranch High School senior has signed to play tennis for the Rattlers, representing a marquee pickup giving his precision both on and off the court.

With his racket, Maciel could help make St. Mary’s stacked for the years to come. The high-school senior boasts a 20-6 overall record against opponents ranked four stars and below, and qualified for the State UIL tennis tournament. St. Mary’s already received its second straight national ranking this season at No. 44, improving from last season’s 50th ranking, which marked the program’s first-ever national ranking.

Currently ranked at No. 175 in the nation, Maciel will transition easily into the Rattlers’ improving competitive style.

“Michael’s outstanding success on the court stands on its own,” St. Mary’s coach Lisa Dausin said. “The USTA ranking system and the number of stars the recruiting network awarded him speak to that. His impressive academic record and accomplishments are also well recorded. These qualities alone would be more than enough for any university to feel honored to count Michael among its own.”

Dausin continued: “What is not found in written format, however, is the strength of character this young man possesses. Throughout the recruiting process, parents, coaches and tennis colleagues either phoned or approached me to give one endorsement after another about the type of ‘people’ Michael and his family were. I was told this was a ‘family of strong faith’ and continued to describe Michael with words and phrases such as honor, integrity, discipline, drive and having the ability to balance academics with his sport. I believed early on that Michael was a perfect fit for the philosophy of our University and our Men’s Tennis program. Our current players confirmed this when some of them had an opportunity to spend time with him on his campus visit. 

“What a blessing it is to know that Michael and his family believe this as well.”

Pairing with his excellence on the court, Maciel also excels academically, again fitting right into the Rattlers’ commitment to both athletic and academic excellence. Maciel holds a 4.0 grade-point average and is ranked in the top 2% of his graduating class. As much pride as he has in his tennis accomplishments, Maciel also received academic accolades as being named the George Ranch High School Math Student of the Year and Academic Student of the Year as a junior, according to tennisrecruiting.net.

Maciel’s desire for expanding, competing and improving athletically while remaining focused on his goals outside of tennis ultimately made his decision a perfect fit for St. Mary’s.

“Coach (Lisa) Dausin shared a sincere excitement about the University and her team every time I spoke with her,” Maciel told tennisrecruiting.net. “She was able to promote her vision for the team, as well as promote the school from an academic perspective. Overall, she seemed genuinely concerned with improving her team not only on the court but off. She definitely added a human element that made me feel I could succeed in her program.”

As head coach Lisa Dausin has consistently improved the tennis program each year as head coach, the future looks strong for Maciel and the Rattlers next season.

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