Nov. 27, 2013
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa men’s tennis coach Steve Houghton announced that Josh Silverstein, Stieg Martens, and Jake Jacoby have all signed National Letters of Intent to join the Hawkeyes in the fall of 2014.
“This is a great recruiting class. It’s definitely our strongest class in recent memory,” said Houghton. “These guys have all played at the highest level nationally and even internationally. I sincerely believe that this group will do big things at Iowa, both individually and collectively.”
Silverstein, a five star recruit from Great Neck, N.Y., joins the program as a five-time USTA National Open Doubles Champion. Silverstein, who trains at the Junior Champions Training Center in College Park, Md., has been ranked as high as No. 34 in the Boy’s 18’s on Tennis Recruiting and was a quarterfinalist at the USTA Winter National Championships.
“Josh has been very successful at all levels of tennis, both nationally and internationally, and in both singles and doubles. I expect him to step right in for us next year and be a difference-maker,” said Houghton. “Along with all of that, he’s a great individual with definite leadership potential.”
Martens joins the program from Roeselare, Belgium, where he was a successful international player. Martens was both a Felmish National Champion and a finalist of the Nike Junior Tour in Belgium. He is currently training with the Belgian Tennis Federation and has won two International Tennis Federation (ITF) Grade 2 doubles titles. He is a hitting partner with former World No. 1 and US Open Champion Kim Clijsters.
“As the No. 2 ranked Belgian national junior player, Stieg has already achieved a great deal,” said Houghton. “However, his potential is unlimited and I would project him to be a successful 3-4 player on our team immediately. He’s a big guy with big shots.”
As a native of Little Rock, Ark., Jacoby joins the team after being a four-time Arkansas state champion. Jacoby was ranked as high as No. 67 on Tennis Recruiting and is rated as a five-star recruit. A multi-sport athlete, Jacoby is an all-state goalie in soccer.
“Jake has performed very well in the southern section, perhaps the toughest section in the nation,” said Houghton. “He has also beaten several top national players, as well as achieving a high national ranking. He’s a great competitor and a very smart player who will win a lot of matches for us.”