Carlos Donat Arjona signs Men's Tennis NLI

PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland men's tennis has signed Carlos Donat Arjona (Spain) to a National Letter of Intent, Pilot head coach Aaron Gross announced on Thursday.

"We are very happy to announce that Carlos will join us in the fall of 2015," Gross said. "Carlos comes to us from Spain, where one of our favorite alumni ever – Alex Ferrero – also hails from. I know Alex will be very happy to hear the news. Carlos has amazing potential. He has had some really good results and has a high Spanish national ranking of No. 87, which is very good. He has had some injury issues over the last several months that hurt his progress temporarily, but he is at full health now and ready to work hard to come in and challenge for line-up spots that will be open when Reid deLaubenfels and Steffen Dierauf finish this year. Those are big shoes to fill, but I feel Carlos has it in him to come right in and make an immediate impact."

Gross, named the 2014 West Coast Conference Coach of the Year, led the Pilots to a 13-9 overall record and a third place finish in the WCC last season spring. The Pilots graduated four seniors, but return deLaubenfels – a WCC honorable mention singles selection – as well as Kent Andreasen and Ethan Ogard.

Donat Arjona is the latest among a talented young core of players for Gross. Portland's six newcomers on the current roster include five true freshmen and Dierauf. The Pilots had a very successful fall season and will welcome another impact freshman to the roster for the spring in Michail Pervolarakis.

"I don't know if I have had as much communication with a recruit before – mainly via email – as I have had with Carlos," Gross added. "He is extremely committed to tennis. His observations and insight into the game that he can express in nearly perfect English make me feel like he is a perfect fit for the culture of our program. I always try to make distinctions in the recruiting process – is the person 'a person who plays tennis' or are they a 'tennis player.' A 'tennis player' is someone that makes nearly every decision in life around what is best for their tennis – from what they eat, to off court training, to focus on court and social life decisions. Carlos is definitely a 'tennis player' and we can't wait to have him here."