Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics
Cal Poly Men’s Tennis Signs Three Players to Recruiting Class
11/13/2024 3:17:00 PM | Men's Tennis
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly men's tennis head coach Nick Carless and the athletic department announced Wednesday that the program has signed three players to its latest recruiting class.
The three signees include two high schoolers and one Division I transfer: Derek Hafiz (Westport, CT), Denzel Seetso (Gaborone, Botswana), and Liam Toroman (Boise State/Los Angeles, CA).
More about the signees:
Derek Hafiz
Westport, CT
Staples HS
Hafiz is ranked as a five star recruit by tennisrecruiting.net, the top recruit out of New England in the 2025 class by USTA, and the 66th ranked recruit in the entire class.
He hails from Westport, Connecticut and said he chose Cal Poly because of the coaches, team, and the academic quality of the university.
Coach Carless comment: "As a nationally ranked five star recruit and being one of the best players from New England, Derek is already an accomplished player but what excites me most about him is his potential. Derek loves the sport, has been coached very well, has no technical limitations, and competes very hard. Those attributes, along with his big serve and forehand combination provide him all the tools needed to be a great college player and more. I'm excited to have him joining the Mustang tennis family and to be able to start coaching him once he arrives on campus."
Denzel Seetso
Gaborone, Botswana
The Taft School
Seetso hails from Botswana in Africa but attended high school at the Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut for the last two years.
At Taft, Seetso went undefeated in singles as a junior in 2023-24 and helped Taft win the Founders League Championship.
Coach Carless comment: "Denzel is one of the top juniors in his age group from Africa and has represented his home country of Botswana in the Davis Cup. The team aspect of playing at the highest level for his country will equip him for the atmosphere seen in college tennis. Denzel is an aggressive baseliner, extremely athletic, has a well-rounded all court game and competes like a professional. He carries himself on court with a level of maturity that is not always common with incoming freshmen. His experience, tennis acumen and mindset allow him to be able to make an immediate impact on our program when arrives next fall."
Liam Toroman
Los Angeles, CA
Boise State/Sage Oak Charter High School
Toroman is a mid-year transfer from Boise State, who will join the Mustangs and start competing for the team in the spring 2025 season.
Toroman spent his freshman year at Boise State in 2023-24, finishing with a combined fall and spring record of 11-8 in singles and 5-7 in doubles.
Prior to college, Toroman was ranked as a top 25 recruit in his class by tennisrecruiting.net. He attended Sage Oak Charter High School in Los Angeles.
Coach Carless comment: "We are excited to have Liam joining the program this January. He was a top junior player before he began his college career, and we can't wait to be able to start coaching him. He is lefty, covers the court very well, and plays with great variety and style from the baseline. I am always fired up when we can have top in-state talent added to our roster and with already a year of college experience, having Liam transferring to us strengthens our lineup for the coming seasons."
The three signees include two high schoolers and one Division I transfer: Derek Hafiz (Westport, CT), Denzel Seetso (Gaborone, Botswana), and Liam Toroman (Boise State/Los Angeles, CA).
More about the signees:
Derek Hafiz
Westport, CT
Staples HS
Hafiz is ranked as a five star recruit by tennisrecruiting.net, the top recruit out of New England in the 2025 class by USTA, and the 66th ranked recruit in the entire class.
He hails from Westport, Connecticut and said he chose Cal Poly because of the coaches, team, and the academic quality of the university.
Coach Carless comment: "As a nationally ranked five star recruit and being one of the best players from New England, Derek is already an accomplished player but what excites me most about him is his potential. Derek loves the sport, has been coached very well, has no technical limitations, and competes very hard. Those attributes, along with his big serve and forehand combination provide him all the tools needed to be a great college player and more. I'm excited to have him joining the Mustang tennis family and to be able to start coaching him once he arrives on campus."
Denzel Seetso
Gaborone, Botswana
The Taft School
Seetso hails from Botswana in Africa but attended high school at the Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut for the last two years.
At Taft, Seetso went undefeated in singles as a junior in 2023-24 and helped Taft win the Founders League Championship.
Coach Carless comment: "Denzel is one of the top juniors in his age group from Africa and has represented his home country of Botswana in the Davis Cup. The team aspect of playing at the highest level for his country will equip him for the atmosphere seen in college tennis. Denzel is an aggressive baseliner, extremely athletic, has a well-rounded all court game and competes like a professional. He carries himself on court with a level of maturity that is not always common with incoming freshmen. His experience, tennis acumen and mindset allow him to be able to make an immediate impact on our program when arrives next fall."
Liam Toroman
Los Angeles, CA
Boise State/Sage Oak Charter High School
Toroman is a mid-year transfer from Boise State, who will join the Mustangs and start competing for the team in the spring 2025 season.
Toroman spent his freshman year at Boise State in 2023-24, finishing with a combined fall and spring record of 11-8 in singles and 5-7 in doubles.
Prior to college, Toroman was ranked as a top 25 recruit in his class by tennisrecruiting.net. He attended Sage Oak Charter High School in Los Angeles.
Coach Carless comment: "We are excited to have Liam joining the program this January. He was a top junior player before he began his college career, and we can't wait to be able to start coaching him. He is lefty, covers the court very well, and plays with great variety and style from the baseline. I am always fired up when we can have top in-state talent added to our roster and with already a year of college experience, having Liam transferring to us strengthens our lineup for the coming seasons."
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