ABILENE, Texas – With the spring portion of the 2016-17 season set to get underway for the McMurry University tennis teams this Saturday (Jan. 28), the women's squad has been ranked third and the men fifth in the American Southwest Conference West division pre-season poll.  Additionally, four players – Clayton Pope and Carlos Martinez from the men, along with Bree Brosig and Chloe Patterson for the women – have earned recognition on the ASC "watch list" for their respective divisions.
 
Pope, a junior from Abilene's Cooper High School, is a two-year letterman for the War Hawks and earned a spot on the ASC All-Academic Team last year. Pope was 9-10 in singles for McM last season, primarily at the No. 4 position. As a sophomore, he also placed second in the Flight 5 of the ASC Invitational and a semi-finalist in the USTA/ITA Regional B-Draw singles. This past September, he was the runner-up in Flight 3 singles of the ASC event, as well.
 
Martinez, from Monterey, Mexico, is in his first season with the War Hawks. This past fall, Martinez won the Flight 2 singles title at the ASC Invitational.
 
Brosig, a senior from Lubbock's Coronado High School, is in her fourth season as a War Hawk. Brosig has a 30-18 career singles record, earning NCCAA second team All-American honors as a sophomore (when she went 19-1 in singles).  Entering her final campaign, she has earned three academic all-conference awards, as well.
 
Patterson, a senior from Spring H.S., is 29-30 in career singles. Patterson was a first team NCCAA All-American as a sophomore and has played No. 1 singles the previous two years for McM. She is a two-time ASC All-Academic Team selection, as well.
 
McMurry's men's and women's teams begin the spring versus East Texas Baptist University at the Seidel-Swagerty Tennis Center on Saturday at 2 p.m.  The War Hawks men have just four returners among its 13 players.  Conversely, the McM women return six letterwinners on its seven-player roster.