University of Minnesota Athletics

Golden Gopher Men's Tennis Program Signs Three Top Recruits

12/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis

The University of Minnesota men’s tennis program has announced the signing of three top recruits to join the Golden Gophers in the next two seasons. Sebastian Gallego and John Nanosky have signed National Letters of Intent to play for Minnesota. In addition, Dino Bilankov has accepted a tender of financial aid and will join the Maroon and Gold in January. Gallego and Nanosky will become Golden Gophers beginning with the 2007-08 season.

Sebastian Gallego, a native of Medellin, Colombia, will become a Golden Gopher after attaining a No. 1 overall ranking in Colombia and a No. 22 ranking in South America as an 18-and-under player.

John Nanosky comes to Minnesota from Ironwood Ridge High School in Tucson, Ariz. In his junior season, Nanosky won the 2006 Arizona Boys 4A Singles State Championship, giving Ironwood Ridge its first state boys title. He was also named the Southern Arizona Player of the Year. The 2006 regional singles champion is undefeated in high school play in Arizona. Prior to coming to Tucson, Nanosky compiled a 56-2 singles record at Franklin High School in El Paso, Texas. He was the 2005 Texas Boys 5A Singles Runner-Up, a two-time El Paso All-City honoree and a two-time El Paso Most Valuable High School Tennis Player. In USTA play, Nanosky has captured two singles titles and three doubles championships since 2002. He is currently ranked 55th in the USTA National Boys 18 Standings and fourth in the USTA Southwest Standings.

Dino Bilankov joins the Maroon and Gold after an outstanding tennis career in his native Croatia. Hailing from Zagreb, Bilankov has consistently been ranked in the top 10 in his age group in the Croation Tennis Association since the age of 10. He completed his junior tennis career ranked No. 1 in the nation and reached the No. 765 international ranking despite competing in only two International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournaments. In senior competition, Bilankov reached a high national ranking of No. 8 and is currently listed at No. 12. He has recently competed in several Futures and Challenger tournaments.

Weber Neels | 1st Team All-B1G
Wednesday, May 20
Godfred Wins B1G Title
Monday, May 18
Anthonett Nabwe Wins B1G Gold
Monday, May 18
Mantzouranis Wins B1G Hammer Title
Monday, May 18