Nov. 26, 2012

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina men’s tennis head coach Josh Goffi announced today that Andrew Schafer (Hilton Head Island, S.C.) and Sam Swank (Bedford, N.Y.) have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University and play tennis for the Gamecocks, beginning in the 2013-14 season. Schafer is a blue chip recruit and Swank is five-star rated, per TennisRecruiting.net.

“The guys that we signed this year are great guys, unbelievable guys, and they come from great families,” Goffi said. “They’re adding to the overall strength of our team.”

Schafer is the top rated player in South Carolina and 13th in the nation behind a 48-18 record on the junior circuit. He is 14-6 against other five-star rated players, including a 9-9 mark against fellow blue chippers. Schafer reached the semifinals of the South Carolina ITF event earlier this month and took sixth at the USTA National Spring Championship in Mobile, Ala., in March. Schafer played in the top spot for his high school team, Hilton Head Prep, the last two seasons and has not lost a singles match in that stretch. He led the team to the semifinals of the state tournament last season en route to Player of the Year honors from the Island Packet/Beaufort Gazette.

“Andrew Schafer is a very good tennis player,” Goffi said. “He reminds me a lot of Andrew Adams, who we have on our team [now], similarly ranked and similar style of games. They both have that phenomenal base that we can spring from. We’re extremely excited to have Andrew Schafer on our team.”

Swank is the rated fifth in New York in recruiting and eighth in the Middle Atlantic region. Rated 63rd nationally, Swank is still building his resume on the junior circuit with an 11-16 overall record. He reached the round of 32 at the USTA National Spring Championship, falling to his future teammate Schafer. Swank also advanced to the semifinals of the USTA Regional Tournament in Coral Gables, Fla., in January 2012. Swank trains with Patrick McEnroe in the USTA Player Development program at the National Tennis Center.

“Sam is a phenomenal athlete all around,” Goffi said. “He’s got a huge frame. He’s lanky. He looks like a tennis player, and he’s got a very explosive, big game. Sam is a little more inconsistent than Andrew Schafer, but his bas is there for playing a `big boys’ game. We’re going to develop him and get his consistency day-to-day up a little more and really have him harness that `big boy’ game that has a very high end.”