GREENVILLE, S.C. – Furman head men's tennis coach J.J. Whitlinger has announced the addition of three newcomers who will be joining the Paladins starting with the 2025-26 season.

The 2025-26 newcomers consist of Landon Ecarma, Finn Pollard, and Barnabás Sift. The three student-athletes hail from the country of Hungary, and states of Illinois, and Kentucky, respectively.

"Graduating a class like we did in May is always tough, but we are really excited about this group coming in," said Whitlinger, who will be entering his 11^th season at Furman and seventh as head coach. "We believe they will help us reload as opposed to rebuild."

Ecarma attended Christian Academy of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. He was a four-time first team all-state selection and twice finished runner-up in the state tournament. He was a member of the FCA and National Honors Society. Ecarma is the son of Rex and Melissa Ecarma. His father, Rex, played and coached at Louisville while his brother, Xavier, played at both Bellarmine and Northern Kentucky.

Pollard is a native of Evanston, Illinois, where he attended Evanston Township High School. He was a member of the National Honors Society. Pollard is the son of Claire Pollard and Jennifer Lutgert. His mother, Claire, played tennis at Mississippi State and his mother, Jennifer, played tennis at Northwestern.

Sift hails from Sopron, Hungary, where he attended Eötvös József Gimnázium. He won three national championships including one each in singles, doubles, and team competition. Sift is a two-time national champion in the high school student Olympics and, in 2022, received the Lutheran Church Good Student Athlete National Award. He is the son of Tibor Sift and Szilvia Czirják.

The Paladins are coming off their first appearance in the SoCon Men's Tennis Championship finals since 2019 and finished last year 9-15 overall and 3-4 in the SoCon. Furman concluded the year winning three of its last four matches including a 4-3 upset of top-seeded East Tennessee State in the semifinals of the SoCon Men's Tennis Championship.

The Paladins return a total of seven letterwinners in 2025-26.

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