The Chattanooga Mocs men's tennis team and head coach Chuck Merzbacher have announced the signing of Marist College transfer Gabriel Castillo to the 2022-23 roster, the program announced Wednesday afternoon.
Castillo recently completed his sophomore season with the Marist Red Foxes of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and will carry three years of remaining eligibility due to the COVID year. He will be immediately eligible ahead of the 2022-23 season.
"We are excited to announce that Gabriel Castillo will be joining the Mocs in the Fall.
As we moved closer to our upcoming year, it was important to add another strong player to the roster, and Gabriel just stood out," said coach Merzbacher.
"I look forward to working with Gabriel, as he pursues his goals for college tennis. He is coming off a fantastic collegiate sophomore season with a 15-4 singles record playing at the top two spots. With the addition of Gabriel and our strong returning group, I believe we are poised to have a special season next year."
Castillo was the top player on the 2021-22 squad at Marist, achieving a 15-4 overall record including an 11-3 mark in dual matches during singles play. He went 9-2 at the No. 2 singles position and finished the season winning nine of his final 10 matches.
In doubles action, Castillo combined to win eight matches between two partners which included a pair of victories inside MAAC play. When paired with partner Augusto Gonzalez, the duo played to a 3-1 mark in tournament play.
Castillo was ranked as a four-star prospect out of Washingtonville High School in Washingtonville, N.Y., according to Tennis Recruiting Network, and was ranked 12th in the state of New York and 33rd in the Middle Atlantic regional. He carried a UTR (Universal Tennis) ranking of 11 and completed scholastic play 16th in USTA Sectionals and 153rd in USTA Nationals.
Both of Castillo's parents, Paola Sanchez and Roberto Castillo, played collegiate tennis at Freed-Hardemann University, while his brother Sebastian was a 2019-20 All-American and ITA Regional Champion at RPI. Sebastian finished the fall and spring as the third-ranked player in the Northeast and top 10 in the country.