ELON, N.C. – Elon head men’s tennis coach Michael Leonard has announced the addition of three student-athletes for the upcoming 2009-10 season. Freshmen Thomas Darling and Carlos Arboleda-Garcia as well as sophomore transfer Eric Turner will join the Phoenix roster.
 
“I am excited about the addition of these three young men to our tennis team,” said Leonard. “I feel I have recruited a class of guys with strong character that should fit in well with the returning players. I look forward to watching each of them compete in tournament play this fall.”
 
Darling went undefeated during his entire high school career at Thayer Academy, not dropping a single set during his junior and senior seasons as the top singles player. Darling achieved a national ranking as high as 121 according to tennisrecruiting.net and is currently listed second in the state of Massachusetts and sixth in the New England region. A stellar student as well, Darling received several academic honors including the Boston Globe All-Scholastic Award and the Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic Award. The Thayer team MVP was also recognized as the 2009 MVP of the Independent School League.
 
Arboleda-Garcia was an all-state tennis selection all four years of high school. He has consistently achieved high national rankings and was ranked as high as No. 1 in Columbia and South America COSAT when he was 14 years old. Arboleda-Garcia qualified for four Futures Tournaments, obtaining two ATP points and earning an ATP ranking of 1519.
 
Turner comes to Elon after competing as a red-shirt freshman for the NC State tennis squad in 2008-09. He went 4-4 in singles for the Wolfpack last year, recording wins over nationally ranked teams such as Louisville, Old Dominion and Vanderbilt. As a prep, Turner was the top tennis recruit in the state of North Carolina, earning a peak ranking of No. 45 in the nation according to tennisrecruiting.net. He played at Watauga High School and Heritage Academy, earning a Bronze Ball in doubles at the USTA Winter Nationals.
 
The Elon men’s tennis team will open fall competition the weekend of Sept. 11-13 at the Virginia Classic and the UNC Greensboro Invitational. The Phoenix will also host the Elon Fall Invitational on Sept. 18-19.