The Bethel College Tennis program has high hopes in 2008 as they come off the most successful year in Wildcat tennis history last season. This marks the third year that Head Coach Gustavo Andrade has been at the helm of the tennis program and each year the men’s and the women’s teams have shown improvement. Coach Andrade believes with his returning players along with the new comers he has stronger teams than last year’s.
Last year the Bethel College men’s team set new marks in wins and in rankings. The Men’s team finished runner-up in the TranSouth to Freed-Hardeman who made it to the semis in last year’s national tournament. Bethel also made its first appearance in the National Tournament and won their opening round match-up before losing in the second to Vanguard (Calif.). The Wildcats ended the season with a 22-3 record and was ranked #11 in the final poll. The Wildcats will miss standout seniors Alexandre Nicolau and Luis Salas from last year’s team. But, Bethel returns their #2 Fernando Bocchese, #3 Thiago Olivera, #4 Andres Mejia and #5 Gustavo Hoewell. Brazillian, Fernando Ristow, is a tremendous addition to this year’s team. He is joined by newcomer Arnaud Bichion from Nantes, France and Augusto Velez who hails from Lima, Peru. Ristow may make a case to be the #1 from what he has shown since he arrived last fall. Bichion and Velez look to strengthen an already potent lineup for Coach Andrade.
The Lady Wildcats also claimed many firsts last season. It marked the first time that a women’s team at Bethel was ranked nationally. The women also finished runner-up in the TranSouth to Freed-Hardeman, who like the men’s team made it to the semis of the national tournament last year. The ladies finished with a 14-8 record and a national ranking of #22 in the final poll. Key losses to the ladies team will be Ana Carolina Costa, Ana Victoria Sperandio and Noelia Caballero. All three transferred to NCAA upper division schools. The Lady Wildcats will also miss senior Michelle Zulu. A solid member returning to this year’s team will be Marcela Vita Santos. Also returning are Dana Ledbetter and Margot Creaseman. Coach Andrade feels fortunate to have landed two transfers from Freed-Hardeman who discontinued tennis. Looking to anchor the team will be Marta Carolina Bello from Columbia, Juliana Costa from Brazil and Karen Martinez from Columbia. Returning after a year’s absence is Katie Harris who looks to tie up the back end of the lineup.
