GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman men's tennis head coach J.J. Whitlinger announced today the signing of Elijah Poritzky of Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and Connor Laymon of Delray Beach, Fla.

"We are extremely excited to welcome Elijah and Connor to the Furman men's tennis family," said Whitlinger.  "Both are exceptional students as well as players, and we can't wait until they get to Greenville."

Poritzky, who boasts a UTR rating of 12, was born in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and moved to Spain at age 13 to train.  He obtained his first ITF pro point at age 16 and has competed in multiple ITF Juniors singles semifinals and doubles finals.  Portizsky, who has scored victories over top 30 U.S. national players and top 90 IFT junior players, holds a top 400 ITF Junior ranking. 

"We have recruited Elijah for quite some time," said Whitlinger.  "What immediately stuck out to me was his passion for the game and his commitment to being the best he could be."

A three-star recruit by tennisrecruiting.net, Laymon holds a UTR rating of 11 after increasing his ranking almost a full point in four months.  He has ranked among the top three players in the Middle States and top 100 in the country by the USTA and is currently ranked 34th among players in Florida.  Laymon, who has won multiple L4 tournaments, has claimed multiple national doubles titles and, most recently, captured an ITA tournament championship.  A member of the National Honor Society, he was honored with the National Honor Society Thinker Award and has been a member of the Boca Prep International School Scholastic Honor Roll for four years.  

"Connor is a bit of a late bloomer, but he has come on strong recently with some great results," said Whitlinger.  "I see him continuing to improve over his next four years at Furman."