Rick Johnston profiles freshmen tennis players Peter Sienko and Alex Van Velzer, who had to delay their entry to the U.S. Military Academy by a year.
"Alex is one of the best recruits in the history of the program. He has great court sense, loves to compete and always leaves it all on the court." -Head Coach Jim Poling
2011-12: All-Patriot League first team member ... turned in a 14-10 singles record in dual matches to list third on the team ... spent most of the season at the No. 2 spot in both singles and doubles ... went 4-0 in dual matches at No. 1 singles ... won first collegiate dual singles match with 6-4, 6-3 victory at Fairfield ... won three of his first four contests in the spring ... earned a 10-7 doubles record alongside classmate Peter Sienko at No. 2 ... went undefeated in the conference tournament, including wins against Lafayette and top-seeded Navy ... the duo went 5-2 against Patriot League foes.
High School: Five-star recruit out of Montgomery, Texas ... ranked third in the state of Texas ... awarded the Bronze Ball at the USTA Super Nationals Clay Courts in 2006 ... Sportsmanship Award at Zonals in 2008 ... named Player of the Day at USTA Super Nationals in 2009 ... coached by Nikolay Gantchev.
Personal: Alexander Keith Van Velzer ... born Dec. 12, 1991, in Houston, Texas ... son of Don and Patricia Van Velzer ... brother, Donald (USMA '12), also was a member of the Army tennis team ... likes to work out, read and play basketball in his free time ... undeclared major.
