The University of New Mexico’s men’s tennis program has announced the signing of two major recruits, as they add Karlo Divkovic of Zagreb, Croatia and Nicolas Prieto of Naples, Florida to the team. Both will join the team as a freshmen, and will start play for the Lobos starting in fall of 2018.
Divkovic joins the team tallying many notable accolades, including being ranked first in the Croatian Junior’s ranking as well as ranking third in the Croatian Men’s ranking. Additionally, Divkovic peaked at the 250th position in World Junior ranking.
“I think that in New Mexico, I will have perfect conditions to improve my game.” Divkovic said. “With brilliant coaching staff and great teammates, I believe these four years will help me further my tennis career.”
On top of Divkovic’s impressive rankings, he also has found tremendous success in the Croatian National Championships, nabbing the championship in the Under 12, Under 14, and Under 16 competition, as well as advancing to the finals in the Under 18 age group.
“We are extremely happy to have Karlo joining the Lobos tennis family,” Head Coach Ben Dunbar said. “Karlo is a great student athlete and has represented his nation many times playing for Croatia. Karlo has played all over the world and now he will be representing Lobo Nation. In the recruiting process, his passion for tennis and his personality really stood out. We can’t wait to have him join us in August.”
Prieto, who is orginally from Medellin, Colombia and moved to the United States when he was 14, has been playing tennis since he was 6. On top of that, Prieto has previously been ranked in the top 400 in the junior world rankings.
“I think New Mexico is the place where I’ll be able to improve every day and grow not just as an athlete, but as a person,” Prieto said. “The quality coaches and teammates make UNM the right fit for the next four years and I can’t wait to come in and do whatever I can to help the team continue to compete for MWC Championships and climb the national rankings.”
Having competed in both men’s open and ATP events, Prieto is also ranked third in the Under 18 age group in his home country of Colombia.
“We are extremely happy to have Nico sign for the University of New Mexico,” Dunbar said. “He is a fantastic guy who will fit with the culture of our program. He wants to work hard and improve and we will give him the avenues to do that here. He comes from a fantastic family and we can’t wait to have him on campus in August. I know he will be so excited to get going and be a part of our family.”