Submitted by Cape Fear Sport... on Fri, 12/05/2008 - 7:13am.READ MORE: 
WILMINGTON, N.C. – The UNC Wilmington men’s tennis team has signed Colorado standout Chris Cooprider to a National Letter of Intent to play for the Seahawks in 2009-10.
“We’re very excited to have Chris join our team,” said UNCW Coach Mait DuBois. “He has accomplished a lot in the juniors, but I believe his best tennis is definitely ahead of him. He brings a huge amount of potential, talent and work ethic.”
Cooprider, a 5-9, 150-pound resident of Centennial, Colo., is the No. 1 player for Coach Mitch Bridge’s Cherry Creek High School squad. Cherry Creek features one of the most successful high school tennis programs in the country, winning the state championship in 32 of the last 34 years.
Cooprider, ranked No. 1 in Colorado and No. 2 in the Intermountain Section by tennisrecruiting.net, is also ranked 79th nationally by the United States Tennis Association (USTA). He won four rounds at the U.S. National Hardcourts last summer and went 3-1 at the National Team Championships, where he played No. 3 for the Intermountain Section.
He was named U.S. National Clay Court “Player of the Day” after beating Blue Chip prospect Devin McCarthey, a Ohio State signee. Cooprider also owns wins over players who have signed with Notre Dame, Maryland, Michigan, Rice and Princeton.
DuBois said: “There are two things that make Chris stand out. He has posted his best results at the biggest national tournaments, so he likes playing on a big stage. Secondly, after a vey successful summer, where a lot of players relax their senior year, he left home to train full-time in Irvine, Calif., at a top academy.
“We consider the character of a player during the recruitment process. I think Chris will contribute right away and represent our program very well, both on and off the court.”
- Courtesy UNCW Sports Information
-- Jesse Jones, CAPE FEAR SPORTS REPORT
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