Nov. 14, 2013

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina head men’s tennis coach Josh Goffi announced that Wood Benton (Spartanburg, S.C./Dorman HS) has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University and play for the Gamecocks. Benton will have four years of eligibility beginning with the 2014-15 academic year.

“Wood has always been on top in the South but never played a ton of national tournaments due to his focus on school, so he went under the radar and is a very good pick-up for us,” Goffi said. “He’s grown quite a bit in the last year or two and has become a very good all-around player. At this point, he’s a great counter-puncher and we intend to build on that solid foundation. He’s a great competitor, too, and that’s what really drew me in – his competitiveness and his ability to play well in the big moments.”

Rated a five-star recruit by Tennis Recruiting Network, Benton is ranked third in South Carolina and top 50 nationally. He is 46-19 in junior events, posting a 6-5 record against blue chip recruits. At Dorman last season, he was a perfect 21-0 in singles and 8-0 in doubles en route to the 4A singles title. Helping his team to the 2013 state championship as well, he earned all-region and all-state honors last season and was named Boys’ Tennis Player of the Year by the Spartanburg Herald-Journal.

Benton joins Harrison O’Keefe (Salem, Va./Laurel Springs School), who signed on Wednesday, in Goffi’s 2014 signing class.