Claremont McKenna College – AUSTIN TENNIS ACADEMY

ATA “Lifer” commits to Division 3 National Champions

A much beloved ATA “Lifer” recently celebrated his college signing ceremony with family, friends, coaches, teammates and ATA community members applauding his accomplishment of gaining acceptance to his “dream” school. During his signing ceremony speech, Jake Berber shared: “Claremont McKenna College was my top choice because it’s one of the strongest liberal arts colleges in the country, the tennis team is the reigning Division 3 National Champions and the students there are the type of people who will help me grow as a person.” Jake should be well prepared for the challenges of being a student-athlete at one of the most selective liberal arts schools in the country given his many years of balancing the rigors of ATA’s training schedule with the challenging academic workload at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School.

Jake has enjoyed a number of significant tennis accomplishments over the course of his stellar junior career. The consistency of his singles results stand out as Jake earned a Top 5 ranking in Texas in the 12s, 14s and 16s age divisions while also being ranked Top 50 in the nation in these respective age groups. Despite these impressive accomplishments in singles, Jake says the highlights of his junior career were achieved with his long-standing doubles partner and ATA teammate, Payton Holden, when they won the 16s Summer Grand Slam title and then topped this accomplishment 2 months later by reaching the quarterfinals of the National Hardcourt Championship in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In fact, Jake and Payton were only 3 points away from advancing to a semifinal berth in the National Championship while playing in front of a huge crowd on stadium court. In Jake’s words, “it was a memory that will forever stay with me.”

Jake’s 13 year journey at ATA has left a legacy that will be cherished for years to come and his joyful presence will be deeply missed. Coach Newman, who has served as Jake’s primary coach for most of his junior career, summed up Jake’s legacy perfectly: “in addition to being a great competitor, Jake possesses the qualities we would all like to have in a best friend as he is kind, thoughtful, emotionally intelligent, calm in the face of chaos, and a supportive teammate.”

Erik and Jake’s Signing Ceremonies

Erik Kerrigan and Jake Berber – both had their signing ceremonies last night which were held in the ATA fitness center. They were surrounded by their families, as well as the ATA community to help them begin their transition to college.

Erik Kerrigan signed his National Letter of Intent with the University of Chicago. He will play tennis for the Maroons starting in the Fall. He also received an academic scholarship for his outstanding SAT score of 2350! The university has a 7.8{37ef6ac642fae6f93f343032eb62785d28fa7a25a4a4f0267a12512c541c53a9} acceptance rate and only 10 percent of the accepted students get scholarships. The University of Chicago is ranked #4 according to US News and has had 89 Nobel Prize winners. Coach Strecker and Coach Newman shared stories about Erik and his time at ATA, congratulating him on the accomplishments he has had in his junior career thus far. Erik also stood up and thanked his family, coaches, friends, teachers at College Prep and the ATA community for supporting him through his journey at ATA.

Jake Berber signed his National Letter of Intent with Claremont McKenna College. He will play tennis for the Stags in the Fall. Jake’s brother and Coach Newman are both alumni of Claremont McKenna College. Forbes ranked Claremont McKenna as the 6th best liberal arts college and 18th best college in the nation. Claremont has 1,349 students with a 9.7{37ef6ac642fae6f93f343032eb62785d28fa7a25a4a4f0267a12512c541c53a9} acceptance rate. Coach Brandon and Coach Newman had many stories to share from Jake’s experience at ATA since Jake was 5 years old. Coach Brandon knows the Berber family well, as he grew up playing tennis with Jake’s older brothers. Coach Newman had a few stories from his time at ATA but really spoke for Jake’s character. He was told that Jake was one of nine recruits for the Stags. When his future teammates had to pick who they wanted for a teammate, Jake was number 1 on all the players lists. Jake makes friends wherever he goes and is very well liked because of his calm, friendly and understanding personality. Jake has been a top 50 nationally ranked player since he was 12 years old. Combining his tennis abilities and his character, the Stags will have a great future teammate. Jake thanked his family, coaches, friends and ATA community for helping him get through some tough times and also sharing good times throughout his experience at ATA.

Congrats to both Erik and Jake on their accomplishments and their bright futures at their respective institutions!