Aug. 31, 2011
Duquesne University men's tennis coach Rob Castille recently announced the addition of two players to the fall roster. Ben Klaas (Petaling Jaya, Malaysia/Deutsche Schule Kuala Lumpur (South Carolina Aiken)) and Mehdi Mekaoui (Casablanca, Morocco/Groupe Scolaire d'Anfa) will be the newest Dukes. They join fellow newcomers Alex Aleman and Rich Robbie who signed with Duquesne last December.
Klaas is a transfer from South Carolina Aiken, where he played for two seasons. He compiled a 10-25 singles record and an 8-9 mark in doubles action for the Pacers and was named to the Peach Belt Conference All-Academic Team after his sophomore season. In Malaysia, he won three National Junior Tennis championships in singles play and two in doubles. He finished 2008 as the number two ranked player in Malaysia.
Mekaoui was ranked among the top junior players in Morocco in the U-14 and U-16 divisions. He competed in the grade A ITF Tournament for his club team, which was three-time Moroccan champions while he played there.
"We are happy to have Ben and Mehdi join our team," said head coach Rob Castille. "Having spent two years already playing collegiate tennis, Ben will help add experience to a fairly young team," he added. "Mehdi was highly ranked in Morocco and I feel his best tennis is still in front of him. In addition to Rich and Alex who signed in November, I am excited with this recruiting class and I am looking forward to the 2011-12 season."
