DURHAM, N.C. – Duke men's tennis head coach Ramsey Smith and the Blue Devils will welcome three incoming freshmen to the program in August. Nick Stachowiak will make the short trip to Duke from Cary, N.C.
Check back to GoDuke.com throughout the coming weeks for profiles on each of the incoming Blue Devils, and be sure to follow the team all year on Twitter and Facebook.
Nick Stachowiak
Cary, N.C. l Middle Creek High School | Right Handed
Prior to Duke: Stachowiak is a blue chip recruit who reached as high as the No. 5 prospect in the United States byTennisRecruiting.net. He holds the No. 1 spot in the IMG TennisRPI, topped out at No. 7 in the USTA standings and has a Unviersal Tennis Rating of 13.92.
On the junior curcuit, Stachowiak was an inaugural member of USTA National Junior Leadership Team and received the USTA National Selection tournament Sportsmanship Award in 2015 and 2016.
Most recently, at the USTA National Section Tournament in late May, Stachowiak advanced to the finals after capturing his first four matches. He suffered a 7-5, 6-4 setback to Alexander Brown, a fellow blue chip recruit who is No. 12 in the TennisRecruiting.net national rankings. Stachowiak also advanced to the USTA Southern L1A Championships' semifinals following four consecutive victories. At the Southern Winter L1 Championships in Hilton Head, S.C., Stachowiak advanced to the main draw round of 32 and consolation quarterfinals. He also captured the doubles championship with Sean Sculley via an 8-6 victory against Bennett Crane and Sami Soufi in the title match.
While attending Middle Creek High School, Stachowiak won three North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) 4A state championships and earned All-America honors as a junior and senior. Stachowiak finishes as one of eight three-time singles champions in NCHSAA history. He was tabbed the Raleigh News & Observer Male Tennis Player of the Year following his freshman and junior seasons and never lost a singles or doubles match during his high school career.
What is your favorite tennis memory?
NS: Coming from behind, being down 1-5, in the third set to win on center court at the National Hard Court Championships my first match at Kalamazoo, Mich.
How did you get started playing tennis?
NS: My older brother played tennis and I would hit during the last 10 minutes of his lesson when I was four years old.
Why did you choose Duke?
NS: Coach [Ramsey} Smith and Coach [Johnathan] Stokke are extremely knowledgeable and will help me improve my game. Duke has high academic standards and top sports programs, which will give me the best of both worlds. I have grown up living close to Duke and have loved their teams since I was young.
What is one thing that would surprise most people reading this?
NS: I recently bowled a 288 game.
What's one piece of advice you'd give to young tennis players?
NS: Make sure to spend as much time stretching as you do hitting tennis balls.
What do you think would be the biggest thrill in sports?
NS: It would be to represent your country at the Olympics.
Quick Hits:
Favorite athlete: Roger Federer
Favorite book: Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
Favorite TV show: Castle
Favorite movie: Rocky IV
Favorite musician: Neal Schon (guitarist from Journey)
Pre-match meal of choice: Jimmy John's Slim #1 with bacon
If you were to play another sport, what would it be? Basketball
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