June 8, 2005

(San Francisco) - The University of San Francisco men's tennis program has signed Bay Area native Mitch Del Rosario (Fremont, CA) and Torin Ching (Honolulu, HI) to late period National Letters of Intent, USF head coach Peter Bartlett announced today. Del Rosario and Ching join Thong Tu (Alameda, CA), who signed last fall, as the Dons incoming 2005-06 recruiting class.

Del Rosario is listed No. 3 in NorCal Boy's 18's and has been a top 10 NorCal player throughout his junior career. He was the No. 1 player in the Boy's 14's in Northern California in 2002 (No. 42 nationally) and well as top-10 in the Boys 16's in 2003. He has represented NorCal in Zonal events as well as participating in National USTA events. The No. 1 singles player at Mission San Jose High School, he captured back-to-back Mission Valley Athletic League (MVAL) singles titles as a sophomore and junior and helped his team to four straight MVAL titles. Mission San Jose also captured consecutive North Coast Section championships in 2003-04.

"I've been watching Mitch develop and had the opportunity to see him in the Nationals last year pull off a pretty big upset and play competitive tennis with the best junior players in the country," Bartlett said. "He carries great energy on the court and has a big game. I think his best tennis is ahead and we're very excited he chose USF."

Ching is currently listed No. 1 in Men's Open singles and the No. 2 Men's Open Doubles player in Hawaii Pacific section. Currently the team captain of the Iolani High School Varsity Tennis Team, Ching earned four varsity letters at Iolani and was a four-time state qualifier for the Hawaii High School Athletic Association tournament. Ching led his team to a second place finish in the team tournament last season, earning first team singles honors as a junior and senior. In addition, Ching has been selected to the Who's Who Among American High School Athletes for 2005 and competed in various national tournaments over the past season, gaining increased national exposure.

"Torin will definitely surprise some people. He is a very smart player with great quickness and tremendous will. He has made a big move in the last year and will do well in the college environment. He is a real team player with a great attitude and will be a welcome addition to our squad," Bartlett said.

The pair will join the lone fall signee Thong Tu of Alameda to complete the freshman class. Tu finished last season #1 in the Boys 18s in Northern California and currently is #1 in the standings for 2005. He recently won the NCS singles title as well as leading his team to a close second in the CCS/CIF Team Championships this past month.

Bartlett believes this talented group will make a positive impact on the USF tennis program as it competes in the demanding West Coast Conference.

"I'm really pleased with this group of recruits. We have a great nucleus of players to build on. Locally, I'm very pleased to get two high quality Norcal players and our hopes are that with the improvements we've made to the program others will follow. I think all three players will make an immediate impact on the program. This will create much more depth for our team," Bartlett said.