Griz complete incoming recruiting class with two more additions
8/20/2026 8:44:00 AM | Men's Tennis
MISSOULA - Montana head men's tennis coach Jason Brown has reloaded the Grizzly roster with two more standout players ahead of the 2026-27 season, bringing the incoming class total to three additions following the departure of one of the greatest senior classes in program history.
Headlining the class is Mason McCarty of Bozeman, one of just two players in Montana high school tennis history to win four consecutive Class AA state titles, who signed in November.
Joining him is Darrshan Suresh Kumar, a transfer from North Dakota who was named the Summit League Newcomer of the Year as a freshman last season. True freshman Timo Meyer, one of the top age-group players in Germany, rounds out the class.
"I'm really excited about this recruiting class. We obviously have massive shoes to fill in losing three seniors, especially Tom Bittner. You can't recruit that kind of senior excellence," Brown said.
"I'm very excited to have a Montana kid come in – I think he's going to push for the lineup right away – then two more really good players to fill some holes in the roster is exciting. I think we have brought in some really talented guys who will contribute right away and help us compete for a championship."
McCarty capped a remarkable prep career in the spring, graduating from Gallatin High School with an 88-0 record and losing just one set across four seasons. The four-time all-state selection officially signed with the Griz in the fall of 2025, becoming the first Division-I tennis signee in Gallatin High history.
"I'm a Montana guy. I grew up here, I coach at Montana, and I've said from the day I took this job that if any Montana kid can play at the division-one level, I want to make him a Griz. I can't tell you how excited I am about Mason just for that fact. He's a three-time, and likely four-time state AA champion, which has only happened a few times in our state's history," said Brown in November.
"I developed a relationship with Mason as soon as I was able to recruit him. He's a straight-A student, a high character kid, and is exactly the kind of person we want here. As an added bonus, he's from Montana. Becoming a D-I tennis player in the state of Montana is really difficult. There is so much travel to find competition to develop his junior career, so it's a testament to his family."
Suresh Kumar comes to Missoula following a strong freshman season at North Dakota where he earned all-conference honors in his first year of college tennis. He went 15-8 in overall singles and 13-6 in doubles helping the Hawks reach the Summit League title match by clinching a semifinal win over Oral Roberts.
The native of Kuala Lumpur has also played on the international stage after being selected to represent his home country of Malaysia in the Davis Cup earlier his summer.
"We played UND in two matches last year and I was thoroughly impressed with Darrshan and how he carried himself. He has so much poise and is just an excellent tennis player, especially for a freshman," Brown said.
"Bringing in a kid from another program where he competed for championships was important to me. He's very seasoned, has played all over the world, and just finished playing Davis Cup for his home country of Malaysia. That's an incredible honor and I believe a first for a Grizzly. Only the top couple players in the country get to play Davis Cup. So, he's got no lack of experience and is exactly the kind of guy we want on our team."
For Suresh Kumar, it was his relationship with Brown that drew him to Missoula.
"Jason is such a welcoming and funny guy but at the same time, he knows when to get serious about things, which made the call for me," Suresh Kumar said.
Meyer comes to Montana as the latest in a long line of German players who have been among the Grizzlies' most competitive contributors.
Before arriving in Missoula, Meyer helped his club go undefeated and earn promotion to Germany's third-highest men's league in 2026. He is a two-time runner-up at the top junior tournament in Germany and reached the semifinal or final at two of the country's other top junior events over the past two seasons.
"We've had this great run of outstanding, all-conference Bavarians, starting with Yannick Schmidl and through Moritz Stoeger and Tom Bittner," said Brown.
"Timo is a guy I fully expect to pick up that baton and run with it. He's a top player in Germany. I got to go see him play and he's got a great game and a big upside. I think he's going to push for the middle to top of the lineup right away. Very excited about him. He's a cool guy and I think will make a great addition to our team and campus."
For Meyer, the opportunity to compete for championships and continue developing his game drew him to the Grizzlies.
"I chose Montana because it felt like the best fit for me both academically and athletically. From the beginning, I had a great feeling about the coaching staff and the team culture. I really liked how welcoming and supportive everyone was during the recruiting process," Meyer said.
"As a tennis player, I believe Montana provides an environment where I can continue to develop, compete at a high level and contribute to the team's success. Academically, I am excited about studying business management and preparing for my future career.
"Overall, Montana felt like the place where I could grow the most as both a student and an athlete, and that made my decision an easy one."
The Grizzlies open the fall tournament season Sept. 17 when they travel to Colorado Springs to play in the Bedford Cup at Air Force.
Headlining the class is Mason McCarty of Bozeman, one of just two players in Montana high school tennis history to win four consecutive Class AA state titles, who signed in November.
Joining him is Darrshan Suresh Kumar, a transfer from North Dakota who was named the Summit League Newcomer of the Year as a freshman last season. True freshman Timo Meyer, one of the top age-group players in Germany, rounds out the class.
"I'm really excited about this recruiting class. We obviously have massive shoes to fill in losing three seniors, especially Tom Bittner. You can't recruit that kind of senior excellence," Brown said.
"I'm very excited to have a Montana kid come in – I think he's going to push for the lineup right away – then two more really good players to fill some holes in the roster is exciting. I think we have brought in some really talented guys who will contribute right away and help us compete for a championship."
McCarty capped a remarkable prep career in the spring, graduating from Gallatin High School with an 88-0 record and losing just one set across four seasons. The four-time all-state selection officially signed with the Griz in the fall of 2025, becoming the first Division-I tennis signee in Gallatin High history.
"I'm a Montana guy. I grew up here, I coach at Montana, and I've said from the day I took this job that if any Montana kid can play at the division-one level, I want to make him a Griz. I can't tell you how excited I am about Mason just for that fact. He's a three-time, and likely four-time state AA champion, which has only happened a few times in our state's history," said Brown in November.
"I developed a relationship with Mason as soon as I was able to recruit him. He's a straight-A student, a high character kid, and is exactly the kind of person we want here. As an added bonus, he's from Montana. Becoming a D-I tennis player in the state of Montana is really difficult. There is so much travel to find competition to develop his junior career, so it's a testament to his family."
Suresh Kumar comes to Missoula following a strong freshman season at North Dakota where he earned all-conference honors in his first year of college tennis. He went 15-8 in overall singles and 13-6 in doubles helping the Hawks reach the Summit League title match by clinching a semifinal win over Oral Roberts.
The native of Kuala Lumpur has also played on the international stage after being selected to represent his home country of Malaysia in the Davis Cup earlier his summer.
"We played UND in two matches last year and I was thoroughly impressed with Darrshan and how he carried himself. He has so much poise and is just an excellent tennis player, especially for a freshman," Brown said.
"Bringing in a kid from another program where he competed for championships was important to me. He's very seasoned, has played all over the world, and just finished playing Davis Cup for his home country of Malaysia. That's an incredible honor and I believe a first for a Grizzly. Only the top couple players in the country get to play Davis Cup. So, he's got no lack of experience and is exactly the kind of guy we want on our team."
For Suresh Kumar, it was his relationship with Brown that drew him to Missoula.
"Jason is such a welcoming and funny guy but at the same time, he knows when to get serious about things, which made the call for me," Suresh Kumar said.
Meyer comes to Montana as the latest in a long line of German players who have been among the Grizzlies' most competitive contributors.
Before arriving in Missoula, Meyer helped his club go undefeated and earn promotion to Germany's third-highest men's league in 2026. He is a two-time runner-up at the top junior tournament in Germany and reached the semifinal or final at two of the country's other top junior events over the past two seasons.
"We've had this great run of outstanding, all-conference Bavarians, starting with Yannick Schmidl and through Moritz Stoeger and Tom Bittner," said Brown.
"Timo is a guy I fully expect to pick up that baton and run with it. He's a top player in Germany. I got to go see him play and he's got a great game and a big upside. I think he's going to push for the middle to top of the lineup right away. Very excited about him. He's a cool guy and I think will make a great addition to our team and campus."
For Meyer, the opportunity to compete for championships and continue developing his game drew him to the Grizzlies.
"I chose Montana because it felt like the best fit for me both academically and athletically. From the beginning, I had a great feeling about the coaching staff and the team culture. I really liked how welcoming and supportive everyone was during the recruiting process," Meyer said.
"As a tennis player, I believe Montana provides an environment where I can continue to develop, compete at a high level and contribute to the team's success. Academically, I am excited about studying business management and preparing for my future career.
"Overall, Montana felt like the place where I could grow the most as both a student and an athlete, and that made my decision an easy one."
The Grizzlies open the fall tournament season Sept. 17 when they travel to Colorado Springs to play in the Bedford Cup at Air Force.
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