THIBODAUX, La. – With the season less than a month away, the Nicholls State University tennis program is excited to introduce three new players for the 2021 Spring Season. 
 
In addition to four Colonels returning for the women and seven for the men, head coach Greg Harkins will have Axel Cronje for the men, and Nikita Pinto and Nuria Martin Lopez for the women this semester. 
 
"The goal for our program is to keep adding depth with quality individuals of character and athletic accomplishments so that we can compete for championships in the Southland Conference," Coach Harkins said. "We want to be a top program within Louisiana, the region and nationally. We are continually moving forward on the court and in the classroom. Our focus hasn't changed; we want to be the best we can at the University and in the community, that's where we are headed today, tomorrow and for the future."
 
A native of Denmark, Cronje joins the Colonels as a graduate student in business from Lander University. During his time with Lander, he was a two-time All-American in doubles and had a 16-4 record in singles as a sophomore. In his senior campaign, Cronje placed third at nationals. He was on the Dean's list for three years and was a two-time ITA Scholar Athlete. 
 
Pinto comes to Nicholls from India where she reached a career high Top 30 in her country in 18u competition and Top 2 in her state. She helped secure the gold medal in the team event at the India Inter-State Championships. In the classroom, Pinto currently holds a 3.6 GPA at Nicholls and is in her senior year.
 
A native of Spain, Martin Lopez comes to Nicholls as a freshman after transferring from Northern Colorado. She reached a career high 170 in Spanish Women's Open Rankings and was a finalist at the National Open tournament in Bejar. She also excelled in the classroom, carrying a top academic rating of 9.5 out of 10 in her final two years of high school.

2021 SPRING SCHEDULE
Nicholls will begin its season on Jan. 29 at Prairie View A&M.

FOLLOW THE COLONELS
For the most up-to-date news on Colonel tennis, follow the teams on Twitter @Nicholls_WTEN and @Nicholls_MTEN.
 
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