RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's tennis head coach Nathan Robinson announced four new additions on Friday for the 2024-25 seasons.  
 
UTRGV welcomes Francisco Gamez, Eduardo Menezes, Isaac Smyth and Loic Young Kriegel to the squad. All four newcomers are freshmen who add depth to a young but promising roster.  
 
"I'm very excited about this recruiting class," Robinson said. "This group brings our roster to eight freshmen and sophomores. We're a young but experienced team. We have a great core group in place ready to take some huge strides this fall and the guys have very big aspirations and goals." 
 
Gamez won three TAPPS 5A state boys singles championships in a row while competing for Brownsville St. Joseph. Robinson said he expects to see Gamez earn a spot in the lineup very quickly as he continues his tennis career in the Valley. Hailing from Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico, Gamez joins UTRGV junior Agustin Salazar as the second RGV player on the Vaqueros roster. 
 
Menezes is a 6-0 freshman from Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil who spent the last three years training in East Hampton, New York at Ross School. He was the MVP of his high school squad, winning the Suffolk County boys tennis singles championship in 2024 with an unbeaten record to lead Ross to the county championship. Menezes was a quarterfinalist at the state singles championship as a senior. 
 
Smyth comes to UTRGV from Brisbane, Australia. He helped Brisbane Grammar School win back-to-back Great Public Schools Association of Queensland (GPS) Premierships. Robinson said Smyth's game is as big as his 6-4 stature, and he uses his serve and groundstrokes to dictate points. 
 
Young will be reuniting with a close friend and former teammate, UTRGV sophomore Santiago Serrano, as he joins the Vaqueros from Viña del Mar, Chile. The 6-0 Young brings a great backhand to the roster and moves well across the court. He captured 20 doubles wins, with a 77% win rate, in 2023 ITF Juniors action. Young and Serrano combined to win three titles at the J60 Santiago, J30 Talca and J100 Mendoza tournaments in 2023 before Serrano was added mid-year to UTRGV's roster.  
 
"Fran is a gritty player who loves the battle and playing in the south Texas heat. I'm always excited when we can grab an athlete from the Valley and I'm looking forward to seeing him practice and develop. Eduardo was our first signee and he is a strong athlete with a great forehand and serve. I believe he has just started to touch his massive potential. Isaac has developed a strong net game and is a guy we see impacting our doubles lineup instantly. His level will take off here in the Valley. Loic has shown great doubles skill and should instantly improve our doubles lineup. I see huge upside with him and can't wait to work with him," Robinson said. "We are excited to see Eduardo, Loic, Isaac and Fran suit up in the orange and gray this year and have them be the newest Vaqueros!"

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