Men’s tennis adds three in recruiting class of 2024
8/1/2024 5:12:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Montana men's tennis coach Jason Brown had a physical template he was looking for when scanning the globe for his next recruiting class: "big, strong players who aren't afraid to come to the net and play aggressively."
Players like that can be a dime a dozen, so it was the off-court intangibles that he relied on most when signing the right Grizzlies to the class of 2024.
Not only do Moritz Lesjak of Austria, Duncan McCall of New Zealand, and Johnny Wilkinson of Ireland fit the bill with on the court with lengthy tennis resumes, they all bring a desire to learn and help the Griz return to the upper echelon of the Big Sky Conference.
"This is as excited as I've been about a recruiting class in a while. I've learned a lot over the years about who I want to get the privilege of being involved with this program. These kids pass that test on the front end, and the test has gotten harder," said Brown.
"We want guys who are excited about Montana, are excited about being good teammates, and are excited about getting better. All three of these guys are good people, understand it's a team sport, and the best thing they can do for the team is get better as individuals while keeping a team. They've all really bought into that, so we're excited to bring them into the fold."
At 6-foot-3, Moritz Lesjak strikes an imposing figure on the tennis court, and as one of the top-ranked juniors in Austria since age of eight, he has the skills to compliment that physical presence.
As a 16-year-old, he advanced to the round of 16 at an ITF U-18 event, won an Austrian U-16 national singles championship, and advanced to the 2024 Austrian team final four. He's been having success in and around his hometown of Vienna long before that, however, earning a top 100 European U-14 ranking and winning a U-12 national championship as well.
"Moritz is a real solid player and we have high hopes for him. He's got a big game. He's tall and strong, plays forward in the court and is pretty aggressive. We like his style on the court and he's a quality guy as well. He was recruited pretty heavily by some other Big Sky schools and we're happy he chose to join us," said Brown.
Lesjak was scouted by fellow Bavarian (and fellow Moritz), Moritz Stoeger, who graduated from UM in the spring following a decorated career and saw the Austrian rise through the European ranks in summer tournaments.
Like most New Zealanders, Duncan McCall is a multi-sport athlete who has excelled on the national stage from his home in Christchurch. He's a two-time age-grade national champion in tennis and soccer who also has a background in basketball, earning him the 2021 "Male Sportsperson of the Year" award at St. Andrews College.
McCall was a team captain during those tennis and soccer national title runs and helped St. Andrews to Canterbury provincial championships in both sports as well. He's a four-time doubles international tour winner and a three-time singles finalist and comes to Montana with a career-high 220 world ranking and an 11.69 UTR.
"Duncan has a ton of upside. He's another guy who moves forward in the court serving volleys, and I just think he's going to be a perfect fit for Grizzly Athletics. He just loves sports, he's got a big game, and he wants to see how good he can get at tennis," Brown said.
"Just watching his video, I thought he was the best player at his level that I've ever seen. He looks so much better than his UTR would indicate, and I think that will prove to be true."
While Johnny Wilkinson is a household name among English rugby fans, Montana's new Johnny Wilkinson bears no relation. Griz fans will be hoping this one provides the same kind of heroics on the tennis court during his career in Missoula, however.
Another multi-sport athlete, Wilkinson played a bit of everything in his hometown of Dublin, including Gaelic football, hurling, basketball, swimming, soccer, and yes, rugby. He won the Ireland national age-grade singles title once, the doubles title three times and the mixed doubles title three times as well. He's also gained international exposure, representing Ireland in tennis at four different tournaments around Europe and his home county of Leinster in two different tournaments.
"I think he's got a ton of upside, especially when he gets in an environment where he can train every day with college athletes. I'd be shocked if his tennis game doesn't launch as well once he gets here. He's another guy who seems to be willing to do whatever it takes to get better at tennis as well," said Brown.
"I've had the privilege of coaching two other Irish guys in Peter Mimnagh-Fleming and Oisin Shaffrey, and they both had just stellar careers here. Johnny grew up close to the Shaffrey's. He and his father came for a visit, and it was just a no brainer."
All three of Montana's new signees will report to Missoula in time for the fall semester. They'll join a program on the rise, ready to make a run at a Big Sky title after earning the highest regional ranking in program history at No. 8, led by first-team all-conference standout Tom Bittner and all-conference doubles pick Baltazar Wiger-Nordas.
Players like that can be a dime a dozen, so it was the off-court intangibles that he relied on most when signing the right Grizzlies to the class of 2024.
Not only do Moritz Lesjak of Austria, Duncan McCall of New Zealand, and Johnny Wilkinson of Ireland fit the bill with on the court with lengthy tennis resumes, they all bring a desire to learn and help the Griz return to the upper echelon of the Big Sky Conference.
"This is as excited as I've been about a recruiting class in a while. I've learned a lot over the years about who I want to get the privilege of being involved with this program. These kids pass that test on the front end, and the test has gotten harder," said Brown.
"We want guys who are excited about Montana, are excited about being good teammates, and are excited about getting better. All three of these guys are good people, understand it's a team sport, and the best thing they can do for the team is get better as individuals while keeping a team. They've all really bought into that, so we're excited to bring them into the fold."
At 6-foot-3, Moritz Lesjak strikes an imposing figure on the tennis court, and as one of the top-ranked juniors in Austria since age of eight, he has the skills to compliment that physical presence.
As a 16-year-old, he advanced to the round of 16 at an ITF U-18 event, won an Austrian U-16 national singles championship, and advanced to the 2024 Austrian team final four. He's been having success in and around his hometown of Vienna long before that, however, earning a top 100 European U-14 ranking and winning a U-12 national championship as well.
"Moritz is a real solid player and we have high hopes for him. He's got a big game. He's tall and strong, plays forward in the court and is pretty aggressive. We like his style on the court and he's a quality guy as well. He was recruited pretty heavily by some other Big Sky schools and we're happy he chose to join us," said Brown.
Lesjak was scouted by fellow Bavarian (and fellow Moritz), Moritz Stoeger, who graduated from UM in the spring following a decorated career and saw the Austrian rise through the European ranks in summer tournaments.
Like most New Zealanders, Duncan McCall is a multi-sport athlete who has excelled on the national stage from his home in Christchurch. He's a two-time age-grade national champion in tennis and soccer who also has a background in basketball, earning him the 2021 "Male Sportsperson of the Year" award at St. Andrews College.
McCall was a team captain during those tennis and soccer national title runs and helped St. Andrews to Canterbury provincial championships in both sports as well. He's a four-time doubles international tour winner and a three-time singles finalist and comes to Montana with a career-high 220 world ranking and an 11.69 UTR.
"Duncan has a ton of upside. He's another guy who moves forward in the court serving volleys, and I just think he's going to be a perfect fit for Grizzly Athletics. He just loves sports, he's got a big game, and he wants to see how good he can get at tennis," Brown said.
"Just watching his video, I thought he was the best player at his level that I've ever seen. He looks so much better than his UTR would indicate, and I think that will prove to be true."
While Johnny Wilkinson is a household name among English rugby fans, Montana's new Johnny Wilkinson bears no relation. Griz fans will be hoping this one provides the same kind of heroics on the tennis court during his career in Missoula, however.
Another multi-sport athlete, Wilkinson played a bit of everything in his hometown of Dublin, including Gaelic football, hurling, basketball, swimming, soccer, and yes, rugby. He won the Ireland national age-grade singles title once, the doubles title three times and the mixed doubles title three times as well. He's also gained international exposure, representing Ireland in tennis at four different tournaments around Europe and his home county of Leinster in two different tournaments.
"I think he's got a ton of upside, especially when he gets in an environment where he can train every day with college athletes. I'd be shocked if his tennis game doesn't launch as well once he gets here. He's another guy who seems to be willing to do whatever it takes to get better at tennis as well," said Brown.
"I've had the privilege of coaching two other Irish guys in Peter Mimnagh-Fleming and Oisin Shaffrey, and they both had just stellar careers here. Johnny grew up close to the Shaffrey's. He and his father came for a visit, and it was just a no brainer."
All three of Montana's new signees will report to Missoula in time for the fall semester. They'll join a program on the rise, ready to make a run at a Big Sky title after earning the highest regional ranking in program history at No. 8, led by first-team all-conference standout Tom Bittner and all-conference doubles pick Baltazar Wiger-Nordas.
Players Mentioned
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