SSU men's, women's tennis program to open 2024-25 season at Pikeville
The men's and women's tennis programs at Shawnee State will open up their 2024-25 season with a pair of matches -- as Gregory Geremia will make his official men's and women's tennis head coaching debut at the collegiate level when the Bears play Pikeville (Ky.) Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. in Pikeville, Ky.
Between the two teams, a total of 21 individuals are on the SSU men's and women's tennis rosters -- including First-Team All-River States Conference women's tennis honoree Vanessa Akuaku and Second-Team All-RSC men's tennis recipient Ishamael Dowuona, who head up both squads.
Along with Akuaku and Dowuona, a total of 11 additional players return to the roster, including:
- Claire Favre
- Brooklyn Foose
- Antonia Ilea
- Ivan Wularu
- Adam Stanley
- Aiden Pine
- Daniel Cristobal
- Elijah Madrigal
- Matthew Justice
- Zinedine Arva Purbo
- Jairemiah Brown
Four new talents join the women's roster (Jenna Clark, Maggie-Mae Clark, Miranda Johnson and Michelin Wemegah), while Caleb Aryettey, Alonso Salinas and Taylor Pack join the men's tennis roster.
Geremia, who is in his first season at Shawnee State, has served as a Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) certified tennis instructor who has worked full-time as a tennis professional at the Ashland Tennis Center in Ashland, Ky. for the past seven years and as a part-time tournament director for the Greater Ashland Tennis Association for over five years. As a high school player at nearby Ashland (Ky.) Paul Blazer High School, Geremia won three 16th Region Doubles Championships and also playing a role in winning four 16th Region Championships while with the Tomcats -- helping Ashland extend its streak of 16th Region titles to 10 consecutive. Geremia was an Ashland Daily Independent All-Area selection in each of his four years of high school competition (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011).
For updates regarding tomorrow's tennis matches, check back at www.ssubears.com for more information.
