As the Hillsdale College men's tennis team looks to remain a contender both in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference and in the Midwest Region, head coach Keith Turner and the Chargers hit the recruiting trail hard this year to put together a big class to replace the three graduating contributors in the 2022-23 lineup.
Hillsdale will restock in the 2023-24 season with four incoming freshmen who will join the team this fall -- Henry Hammond (London, England), Ellis Klanduch (Mooresville, North Carolina), Kenko Vician-Flechler (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina) and Pali Vician-Flechler (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina).
Hammond joins the Chargers from the United Kingdom after a strong prep career in his native country playing for The Coopers Company and Coborn School, where he earned his school's Tennis Player of the Year Award as a junior and senior. Hammond was the No. 1 player and captain on two Coopers teams that finished sixth in 2021 and ninth in 2022 in the Great Britain School U19 Tennis National Championships, playing for the only non-private school to reach that stage of competition. As an individual, Hammond has had an impressive record throughout his career, entering the 2023 season with 116 wins against just 12 losses in scholastic competition.
Alongside his success on the court, Hammond has also been impressive off it, attaining the equivalent of a 4.0 GPA in the UK grading system, and scoring extremely highly on GCSE Exams and the SAT. He's also spent time as a student mentor and volunteer youth tennis coach, working with up and coming athletes on how to balance school and athletics, while also instructing younger tennis players in his community in afterschool sessions.
Klanduch, meanwhile, had a storied career for Lake Norman High School, finishing runner-up in singles at the 2023 NCHSAA Individual State Championships in 4A, the largest classification in the state of North Carolina. That impressive finish follows on the heels of a run to the final four in doubles at the 4A Individual State Championships in 2022 as a junior. A multi-time All-State and All-Conference honoree, Klanduch also excelled on the USTA Circuit, ranking in the top 55 in the Southern Section, a tennis hotbed, and ranking in the top 10 in the state of North Carolina throughout his high school career, with a long list of victories and top placings in USTA events across the region and the country.
Like Hammond, Klanduch is more than just an excellent tennis player, earning membership in the National Honor Society, posting a 4.36 GPA, and finishing with impressive scores on both Advanced Placement tests and the SAT. He's also active in giving back to his community, volunteering with several charitable causes through his youth group at Peninsula Baptist Church, and also working as a youth tennis instructor at both the River Run Club in Davidson, North Carolina and the Trump National at Mooresville, North Carolina.
Hillsdale's final two recruits in the class come as a pair, as the Chargers also welcome twins Kenko and Pali Vician-Flechler to the team for the upcoming season. The two are joining the team from the Academy at Laurel Springs school, where they finished coursework and earned their diplomas in just three years, and also the prestigious Van Der Meer Tennis Academy. Thanks to their time at Van Der Meer, the twins will come to Hillsdale with experience playing high-level tennis and getting instruction from some of the best in the game.
Kenko comes to Hillsdale with a 25-11 USTA singles record and a solid background as a two-sport athlete, also excelling in golf and finishing in third in the state of South Carolina with his high school team. That crossover athleticism will come in handy as he continues to develop in the Chargers' program, and Kenko also is a strong student, earning membership in the National Honor Society and winning a Chinese Language award at his high school two years in a row. Kenko also has interned at the Presidential Precinct in Charlottesville, Virginia, and spent time working for the International Order of T. Roosevelt.
Pali was the number one player in both singles and doubles for his high school team as a sophomore in 2022, helping lead his team to the state finals in their division by posting a 18-3 combined record in singles and doubles, and receiving the Coaches Award from his school for his play. Like Kenko, Pali also has a solid background of competition on the USTA circuit as well as his success in high school tennis, and is also an excellent student, graduating high school in three years with honors and being named the 2022 Mandarin Language Student of the Year. Pali joined Kenko in interning with the Presidential Precinct and the International Order of T. Roosevelt, and also has spent time as a volunteer coach with youth players at the Spanish Wells Tennis Club.
All four players will look to add to a Chargers team that returns four lineup players in 2023-24 but has holes to fill in both singles and doubles with the graduation of multi-time all-conference players Brennan Cimpeanu and Brian Hackman. The season begins with individual tournaments in September.
Photos courtesy of the athletes. From left -- Henry Hammond, Ellis Klanduch, Kenko Vician-Flechler, Pali Vician Flechler