ORLANDO, Fla. – The UCF men's tennis team has landed rising junior Lleyton Cronje after a breakout sophomore campaign at VCU.
"We couldn't be more excited to have a player of Lleyton's caliber joining us," Director of Tennis John Roddick said, "He qualified for the NCAA Singles Tournament last year and that is a great accomplishment. We are looking forward to the opportunity of working with him."
Cronje is coming off an incredible sophomore campaign with a 12-4 singles record, including a 10-3 mark in the No. 1 position. He also tallied a 10-7 doubles record. He entered the ITA Singles Rankings at No. 79 for the first time in his career and led VCU to the Atlantic 10 Championship title in 2020-21. Cronje was also named the Atlantic 10 Performer of the Year and earned All-Atlantic 10 First Team honors. He ended the season with a trip to the NCAA Singles Tournament for the first time in his career and the first for the Rams since 2014.
The South Africa native made his collegiate debut in the 2019-20 season, logging in an overall singles record of 13-8 and a combined doubles record of 8-8. Cronje picked up his first collegiate singles victory against Richmond on Jan. 29 and reached the round of 32 in the ITA Atlantic Regional.
The Knights look to build off their phenomenal season as they return six members from last season's team that earned a trip to the NCAA Championships and won its first American Conference title. The addition of Cronje will boast this year's roster into another historic run in the 2021-22 season.
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