Chicago State University men's and women's tennis coach
Jack Barton announced the signings of Helin Alvarez and Nia Cooper who both signed national letters of intent to play tennis at CSU starting this fall.
"I am really excited about our upcoming fall class," Barton said. "Helin is the sister of our current men's tennis student-athlete, Pedro Alvarez. She has determination, grit, and a focus that will carry her a long way this season. Her brother has been mentoring her on the next step of college academics and athletics so the learning curve for her will be very small and she will adapt well.
"Nia is going to be a great player for us," he continued. "After focusing on graduation, she really performed well this summer at an ITA event in Indianapolis and a few USTA level 4 tournament in the Midwest. I watched her in Chicago District closed this summer and I love her style of play and energy. Off the court, she's a leader, so that will be great as we give her opportunities to show that quality here at Chicago State."
In the past year, Cooper has advanced to the semifinals of her last four tournaments, including the 18 & under Chicago District Championships. She completed her high school career on a high note, finishing at the top of her class with an 3.86 GPA.
Alvarez, ranked the top player in her state and second in her home country during her entire junior tennis career, represented Venezuela in the South American games in Paraguay and at the COSAT CUP in Bolivia. She was won the singles title and was a doubles finalist at several National, ITF and COSAT tournaments. Alvarez also excels in the classroom, finishing her high school career as valedictorian with a 4.0 grade point average.
About Chicago State Athletics
Chicago State University Athletics is composed of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994.
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