Aug. 25, 2006

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV men's tennis team has welcomed former college standout and professional player Travis Rettenmaier to its staff, Rebel head coach Owen Hambrook announced Friday.

Rettenmaier, 23, who has been ranked among the world's top 300 players in both singles and doubles, replaces two-year assistant Adam Carey, who recently accepted the head coaching position at UNC Wilmington.

A native of Camarillo, Calif., Rettenmaier was one of the top junior players in the world before deciding to attend UCLA. One of the youngest student-athletes to ever compete for the Bruins as a 16-year-old freshman, he compiled a 51-16 doubles mark and 32-9 singles record in two years in Westwood before turning professional after the 2001 dual-match season. He went on to earn career-high ATP rankings of 273rd in singles (February 2006) and 218th in doubles (August 2005).

"We're thrilled to have Travis joining us," UNLV head coach Owen Hambrook said. "I have been impressed with him his entire career. He will add a lot of energy to our program and it will be a big benefit for our players to work with a world-class player every day in practice."

A member of a tennis-rich family, Rettenmaier's mother, Karen Dawson, played at UCLA in the early 1970s and went on to be ranked among the top-100 in the world. Also, his father, brother, and sister have all captured national championships in USTA events.