MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine men's tennis team was chosen to finish the 2020 season 2^nd in the West Coast Conference as sophomore #38 Corrado Summaria was awarded preseason All-WCC team honors, the league announced Wednesday.
 
The poll is determined by all ten head coaches who may not vote for their respective programs.
 
No. 24-ranked San Diego was picked to win the conference, as BYU, Gonzaga and LMU rounded out the top five. The #38 Summaria was joined by #20 Damon Kesaris of Saint Mary's and USD's #30 Gui Osorio.
 
RETURNING TIDE
Joining Summaria as returners for the 2020 squad are seniors Pawel Jankowiak and Adrian Oetzbach and sophomores Enrique Luque Rico and Tim Zeitvogel.
 
Summaria earned his #38 ranking after defeating ranked foes in the Oracle/ITA Masters and played well in the ITA All-American Championships. Zeitvogel and Luque Rico each had remarkable fall seasons after going deep into ITA Southwest Regional play.
 
FRESH WAVES
Head coach Adam Schaechterle brings in four new faces to the men's tennis program in freshmen Evan Shamlian and Robert Shelton, who played their fall seasons for the Waves, joined by freshman Pietro Fellin and sophomore transfer Daniel De Jonge.
 
"The culture of the program has really come together," Schaechterle said. "We have three captains we're excited about, but then we have this young energy with our newcomers."
 
"Daniel (De Jonge - Vlissingen, Netherlands) has a huge game and really wants to play at the next level, but is also a fantastic student and we've been really impressed with how well he takes care of the details off the court so that he's locked in when he comes to practice."
 
"Pietro (Fellin - Milan, Italy) has an exciting upside. He was drawn to the professionalism and development that he's seen in our other guys and he has the foundation to compete at the next level as well."
 
"Robert (Shelton – Lancaster, Pennsylvania) has gone from being a solid prospect to being a guy that will make a huge impact on our lineup this spring. His development is probably the most significant of anyone right now."
 
"Evan (Shamlian – Los Angeles, Calif.) has been massive for our program with his energy. He's one of those guys who you can tell that his favorite part of the day is coming to practice."
 
"I also want to acknowledge the work [assistant coach Tassilo Schmid] has done and how he is operating at an associate head coaching-level. He's really great at building relationships, has a knack for recruiting and has done a fantastic job with our guys."
 
UP NEXT
The Waves are set to open the 2020 season at home, where they'll take on WCC foes Santa Clara at 2 p.m. on Saturday and then host a double-header against San Francisco Sunday at noon before taking on Sacramento State at 5 p.m.