Men's Tennis Adds Local Standout
12/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss men's tennis Head Coach Zubin Engineer announced the addition of Hattiesburg standout Christopher Wilkins for the 2016-2017 season.
"I am extremely excited that Chris chose to come to Southern Miss. He will be a welcome addition to our team," Engineer said.
Wilkins, a four-time high school state singles champion at Sacred Heart High School, is currently ranked No. 1 in Mississippi 18s, and has been ranked as high as No. 32 in the South. The Mississippi Tennis Association selected Wilkins as the 2015 Male Player of the Year.
"Chris is very talented and possesses a great attitude, is a hard worker and will be a perfect fit for our program," Engineer said. "Our team has continued to make significant strides each and every year as shown with the back-to-back winning seasons. To be able to sign the No. 1 player in the state of Mississippi is a testament to where our program is headed."
A competitive tennis player since he was eight years old, Wilkins recently made the finals of the Icy Hot Southern Level II Tournament in Lafayette, and also played in the Clay Court Super Nationals in Delray Beach, Florida. Last year, Wilkins attended the Smith Stearns Tennis Academy in Hilton Head, SC, where he was able to improve his game significantly during extensive training sessions.
Chris is the son of Robert and Karen Wilkins, and has a twin brother Jack and a younger brother Bo. Robert, Chris's father, has been an interventional cardiologist at Hattiesburg Clinic since 1995. Robert's parents, Bert and Anne Wilkins, are from Hattiesburg and graduated from Hattiesburg High. Anne Wilkins is a graduate of Southern Miss. Karen, Chris's mother, practiced for a large law firm in New Orleans for 11 years, and is now an Independent Consultant with Rodan & Fields. Chris and his brothers have attended Sacred Heart since pre-kindergarten.