LORETTO Pa. (Nov. 28, 2012) – Head coach Paul Tobin, already in his third year at Saint Francis University, wasted no time in signing two top junior men's players for the fall of 2013.
Plamen Avuski and Elijah Cerden will highlight the 2013-14 freshman class for Tobin's squad.
"This is a very exciting time for our men's tennis program, we're going to have nine top line players, who will help guide the team to a conference championship," said Tobin. “Plamen and Eli will make a direct impact based on their current tournament's successes. I'm confident we're going to place atop of the conference standings by year's end."
Plamen was born to Palmina and Milen in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria. Avuski started playing tennis in his native country Bulgaria when he was six years old. By the time he was 16 years old, he was already ranked No. 4 in the country. At 18 years old his ranking climbed to No. 3. Avuski trains several hours a day at the prestigious Plovid Academy in Bulgaria as well as the Tenisval Academy in Spain.
Avuski has had strong accomplishments in both juniors and ITF. In 2011, he placed third in singles at the Bulgarian National Championships and placed second in doubles. Avuski was a quarterfinalist in the U18 Bulgarian Championships, as well as a finalist and two-time semifinalist at the Bulgarian National Junior Tournament.
Avuski has also competed in the ATP professional tour as a qualifier and has advanced to the main draw of several futures events. In 2009, Avuski advanced to the semifinals of a qualifying futures event in Montréal. During the same year, he also won a qualifying futures event in Las Vegas and advanced to the semifinals in Spain. During the same year, Avuski also made it to the third round of a professional futures event in Bulgaria and Spain.
“I chose Saint Francis University because it gives me a great opportunity to progress not only in tennis, but also in my studies. I can't wait to be a part of the team and compete at the Division I level,” Avuski said. “My tennis goals are to give everything I can to the team and do my best to improve as a tennis player. My academic goals are to work and study hard to achieve a good education for my future.”
“We are very excited to have Plamen join our squad in the fall, said Tobin. “Plamen has a tremendous amount of tournament experience. It also helps that he is a 6' 2” left-handed player, an attribute that is extremely beneficial for both our players and for winning matches.”
Elijah Cerden started playing tennis when he was six years old in Bloomfield, New Jersey. His parents, John and Josephine loved tennis and made sure that Eli trained every day. By the time he was 12 years old he was already ranked No. 71 in the United States and No. 24 in doubles. At 18 years old, he was already ranked No. 4 in New Jersey and No. 39 in the East Coast. Cerden currently trains three times a week at the Garden State Tennis Academy and two times a week with his personal coach Omar Sebastian. Cerden comes from a tennis family in which his sister is currently ranked No. 9 in New Jersey in the U12. Cerden is currently competing in the very competitive Men's Open division of the USTA and has successfully won three tournaments.
“I chose Saint Francis University because I'm very impressed with the tennis program and the academics,” Cerden said. “My goals are to compete at the highest level on the court as well as succeeding in the classroom.”
“I am very excited that Eli will be joining our squad in the fall; he has such a tremendous passion for the game and I'm convinced that he will give me nothing but 100% effort,” said Tobin. “Having another lefty on the team will also be a great asset.”
