REGIS MEN’S TENNIS ANNOUNCES CLASS OF 2019

WESTON, Mass. - On behalf of the Regis College men's tennis team, Coach Ciarleglio is extremely pleased to welcome three new freshmen players for next fall, Jack Alaev (Moscow, Russia), Cameron Charbonneau (Guilford, Conn.) and Lucas Horton (Bass Harbor, Maine).

All three are accomplished players that have a number of years of experience. With three capable freshmen joining a solid core of returners from last year's successful squad, Coach C. expects the Regis men's team to continue to grow competitively in New England collegiate tennis.

"For me sport is not just a hobby! When I'm competing, I forget about the world, my problems and other things that cause stress," said Jack Alaev. Alaev participated in several sports at an early age including martial arts, swimming and downhill skiing. In fact he skied competitively for seven years winning several medals. Jack began taking tennis lessons for the last three years that he was skiing and enjoyed tennis so thoroughly that he gave up skiing to focus on improving his tennis skills. He has now been playing for more than seven years. "I liked it so much that I had to literally be dragged from the courts! Tennis has everything that I want in athletics – individual competition while being part of a team, the need for strategy in addition to technique and fun!"

Jack considered a number of places in the U.S. for college as well as many schools. His cousin told him about the huge variety of universities in the Boston area and initially told Jack that he would be going to college in Boston. Although his cousin decided to attend college elsewhere, Jack felt that coming to Regis offered the opportunity to learn in the U.S. and get a great education. Alaev also chose Regis College because of its attractive, rural campus while having access to Boston. He plans to major in communication. Jack finds it easy to speak to people and would like a career that offers a lot of opportunities to meet a wide range of people. While he enjoys many different types of music, he particularly likes to listen to music with meaning and not just random sounds. In general, Alaev likes to be very active and is excited about all that Regis has to offer.

Cameron Charbonneau started playing tennis around the age of five, playing recreationally in the summer while also playing against teams from surrounding towns. Charbonneau also swam competitively in the winter and played baseball in the spring from 4th grade until 7th grade. Cameron decided that tennis was his sport and switched to playing competitive tennis year round in the 7th grade. At Guilford High School, he played on the varsity team all four years moving up each year in the lineup to the No. 1 singles slot as a senior. He enjoys tennis because of the mental and physical aspects and the strategic element of the game. Cam enjoys competing against tough opponents. "Tennis is also a sport that I can play competitively throughout my life!"

Besides competing, Charbonneau enjoys watching and following the pro tour - Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori are his favorite players. Outside of tennis he loves to travel, especially the annual vacations to Ogunquit, Maine and visits to his grandparents in Florida and Lowell, Mass. Cam is a big fan of the New England Patriots and intensely follows the NFL as well as being a fan of the Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics. He enjoys hanging out with friends and going to movies. Charbonneau chose Regis because of its smaller size and the opportunity to really get to know fellow students. He is also looking forward to the one-on-one relationship with professors that Regis is noted for. Cam plans to major in Exercise Science as he is looking towards a career in physical therapy. "I am excited to be part of the men's tennis program at Regis and want to help the team in any way possible."

Luke Horton started playing tennis when he was 10. Watching his father and father's friend play was his first real encounter with tennis. "I started playing tennis after trying a wide variety of other sports such as soccer, baseball and basketball. I jumped at the opportunity to try a new sport, and fortunately enough I began to quickly develop some skills at tennis."

Horton spent two years training at the Ellsworth Tennis Center before playing his first match. Since then, he played two years of USTA team tennis with good results and competed at first singles for his four years at Mount Desert High School. He has continued his tennis training at the Ellsworth Tennis Center for the whole time during high school. Luke was First Team All-Conference in his sophomore, junior, and senior years as well as Player of the Year both junior and senior year for the Penobscot Valley Conference. The Mount Desert high school team was a finalist in Maine State High School Tournament in 2014. Horton has been ranked Top Sixteen in Maine since sophomore year and was in the top 8 his senior year.

Outside of tennis, Horton works at the Causeway Club, an outdoor pool and tennis facility where he is a lifeguard. Luke recently has gotten into swimming, and also living around Acadia National Park he has done a lot of hiking. He also enjoys video games and, of course, hanging out with friends. Growing up with two older sisters he learned to enjoy all sorts of music but overall his favorite music is rap.

"I chose Regis because of the awesome location as well as the small tight knit community vibe I got during my overnight visit. I also love the small school in a big city feel and of course the chance to play some competitive tennis." Regarding a major, Horton is starting as undeclared, and is looking for his course work during freshman to discover the major that peaks his interest.

The men's tennis team kicks off its 2015 season on September 9 when the Pride travel to Salve Regina University.