April 12, 2006

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss Men's Tennis Coach Teddy Viator has announced the signing of Will Thames of Heidelberg (Miss.) Academy and Callen Fraychineaud of Newbury Park (Calif.) High School, to national letters of intent and grant-in-aid for the 2006-07 academic year. This marks the first pair of signees of the spring signing period.

"We're excited to have these two players join our program," Viator said. "Both of these players have had outstanding junior tennis careers and have a lot of potential to be successful college players."

Thames, a 5-foot-11, 160-pound senior from Laurel, Miss., is ranked in the Top 20 in the South and Top 100 in the nation in the United States Tennis Association (USTA) rankings. Thames, who has competed in a variety of national tournament throughout the United States, also is a three-time Mississippi Davis Cup team member, and a past winner of the Mississippi Closed Championships.

Fraychineaud, a 6-foot, 165-pound senior from Thousand Oaks, Calif., has played at the No. 1 singles position at Newbury Park and holds a record of 57-6 at No. 1 singles throughout his career. He is ranked among the Top 150 junior players in the nation and was a quarterfinalist at the West Coast National Junior Championships.