BERKELEY – Perennial women's tennis powerhouse California added to its talented roster with the signing of blue-chip recruit Alexis Nelson, head coach Amanda Augustus announced on Friday. The Saint Paul, Minnesota, product – currently ranked 13th in the USTA girls' 18s national singles rankings – will join the Golden Bears in the fall of 2016.
Nelson was previously ranked No. 1 in the USTA girls' 16s singles poll and as high as No. 3 at 18s. Along with her prowess on the courts, Nelson is strong academically. She currently holds an unweighted 4.00 grade-point average at Harding High School in Saint Paul.
“We're really excited to have Alexis join the Bear family next fall,” Augustus said. “She's a really great fit academically and athletically. She's a very has had a stellar junior career and is continuing to develop. We think she'll be very successful for the Bears both in singles and in doubles. She'll be, I believe, our first player from the state of Minnesota, which is exciting and continues to add to the diversity of our team.”
The TennisRecruiting.net College Recruiting List tabs Nelson as the seventh-best national recruit, while the TennisRPI Ranking lists her eighth among high school seniors. She has an ITF Juniors ranking of 806.
Last February, Nelson won the singles title at the USTA National Selection Tournament in Palm Desert, California, and then in May, she finished as the singles runner-up in the USTA National Selection Tournament in Cincinnati. In June, Nelson took the singles crown at the USTA Northern Girls Section Championships in Minneapolis and then in July reached the singles round of 16 in the USTA Girls'18 National Clay Court Championships;
In 2013, Nelson finished as the Orange Bowl girls' 16s runner-up in mid-December and then – as the 12th seed – captured the girls' 18s gold ball at the USTA Winter National Championships later that month. In early 2014, Nelson won the doubles title at the Orlando 10K Pro Circuit tournament.
The 2015-16 Golden Bears are currently playing in both the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Tournament in Flushing, New York, and in the ASU Thunderbird Invitational in Tempe, Arizona.