May 25, 2006

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall University head coach John Mercer announced Wednesday, the signing of Thaddea Lock to a National Letter of Intent to join the Thundering Herd tennis team for the 2006-07 season.

Lock, a product of Cossington, Somerset, England comes to Marshall with impressive credentials. Lock was ranked in the top 10 for juniors in England and also secured an ITF (International Tennis Federation) ranking of 329. She also has a top 1,000 WTA (Women's Tennis Association) world ranking.

In addition to her rankings, Lock has experienced success in numerous tournaments, including stints at Junior Wimbledon in 2004 and 2005.

The signing of Lock brings the Herd an experienced player to help solidify the Herd's efforts to move up the ladder on a national scale in women's tennis.

"We're extremely excited to get somebody that has experienced success at a very high level of play both in England and Internationally," Mercer said. "Her experience and excitement for the game of tennis will add a lot to our program and continue to make us competitive on the national level."

Lock will join a Thundering Herd squad that is rich in talent after losing only one senior and returns its entire starting lineup from a team that was ranked as high as No. 55 in the nation in 2006.