One of the top male junior tennis players in the country, Jacobi Bain, has signed on the dotted line to play collegiate tennis for the Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) Gold Rush come Fall 2021. The announcement was made over the weekend.
Currently, the 17-year-old is undecided on a major but his decision to choose XULA was primarily for tennis reasons. The school is a member of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
“My decision to go to Xavier was not tough because I really liked the school and they have a great tennis scene. What drew me to Xavier was how great the campus was, and the location is nice,” Bain said.
XULA is located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America. Bain’s goal for his freshman year is to play in the middle of the lineup, gauging himself, and his four-year plan is to improve each year, be an All-American and help his team to a national title in all four years.
The Windsor School grade 12 student was able to play in one overseas tournament this year – an International Tennis Federation (ITF) J4 event in Atlanta, Georgia, from October 19-24. Bain played against American Timothy Phung in the first round, and lost in three sets – 2-6, 6-1 and 1-6. In doubles, he and partner Mexican Adrian Dibildox lost in the second round in three sets to Jamaican John Chin and Peruvian Mark Dancuart. They lost 3-6, 6-3 and 10-12. In the first round they won 6-4 and 6-1 over Americans Farzan Amiri and Tyler Bowers.
“I played alright,” Bain said. “It was my first time being back in a while. I am getting back into the groove of things. I do miss competition because that is when I feel I play my best. After a few tennis matches, that is when I start to get into my groove and start playing my best tennis.”
It is a very difficult time for athletes, especially at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic period that became widespread on this side of the world in March. During the period when outdoor exercise was allowed, Bain said he was able to get on the court and practice. Earlier in the pandemic when it was not allowed, he was able to exercise at home and do some running in the neighborhood to keep active.
Bain has been playing tennis from he was three-years-old. He said the sport means a lot to him and he thanked his father, Bradley Bain, and his coaches along the way for helping him get this far.
According to the latest ITF junior rankings published on November 30, Bain is ranked at number 863 in the world. His highest ITF ranking was at number 616 back on January 6 of this year.
The post Jacobi Bain heading to XULA in New Orleans appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/jacobi-bain-heading-to-xula-in-new-orleans/
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