The Goshen College men’s tennis team is now receiving votes to be nationally ranked in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. During their fall season, the Maple Leafs won four games and only lost one.

Their sole loss came against nationally ranked NCAA Division II opposition from Grand Valley State University. After the fall season, first-year Iago Ciucio is ranked 24th in the NAIA by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

The Leafs currently have four first-year players in their team of nine.

Another new addition to the squad is Pedro Scattalon ’25, who joins the team as assistant coach.

After graduating from GC last semester, Scattalon was eager to return to the squad in a coaching position.

“There were a lot of goals and objectives that I had as a player that I couldn’t achieve. And seeing the growth on the team and the commitment from the coach and from the players, I thought it would be a great idea to stay and achieve those goals in another position,” Scattalon said.

Scattalon commented on the improvements that he has seen within the team since he became assistant coach in August. “Recruiting played a big role. We brought in four players, three of them are in the top six. They are very good players and now they have some experience,” said Scattalon.

As mentioned, the one loss came at the hands of nationally ranked GVSU. Scattalon thinks that this game was “a great test.”

“When we play a better team, it shows us that there is a lot to still work on,” he said.

One of the highlights for Scattalon was the teams performance at the Fall Invitational in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. “It doesn’t go on the record because it is individual but we won almost every draw, both men and women, in doubles and singles. We had four draws of singles and four draws of doubles and we won three of each,” said Scattalon.

Ciucio was pleased with the results during preseason. “The team managed really well this preseason, you can see it in the results. We have one doubles couple in the first 24 in the nation for the [women].”

Ciucio hails from Resistencia, Argentina. For him, the decision to come to GC was an easy one, due to his familiarity with other members of the team. “One fact that made me come to Goshen College was that I already knew some people here. I already knew Joaquin [Luque] and Pedro [Scattalon],” he said.

Ciucio made the final at the ITA regional tournament, but it wasn’t without hardship. “In the quarter final, I got injured in my heel and I still won two matches, so I was still able to give 100% despite the injury,” he said.

Scattalon complimented Ciucio for his fast adaptation to life in the United States. “His adaptation was very good and also very easy because he’s very open and a coachable player. He is someone you can talk to and he will listen,” said Scattalon.

Despite this fast adaptation, the biggest challenge that Ciucio faced was getting used to the hard courts that are used in the United States as opposed to the clay ones they play on in Argentina.

“The difference is that clay is slower than hard. For me, when it is faster, it is bad because I’m not tall. I’m small, so if the court is faster it is worse for me,” said Ciucio.

Ciucio is 22, the oldest first-year on the team. Scattalon thinks that Ciucio’s maturity is one of his advantages. He said, “You can see on the court in some clutch moments. Instead of backing up, he presses on the gas pedal and starts playing his better tennis.”

One of the improvements that Ciucio sees under head Coach Jon Bemisderfer is “trusting” himself. “When I came here, I wasn’t playing how I wanted to. [Jon] was always there giving me support and telling me how to handle some situations,” he said.

Ciucio described his national ranking as “pretty special, I don’t feel like I am the best player in Goshen or anything. I know if I don’t keep working, my teammates can improve a lot and leave me behind. But it is really nice to have first semester here.”

For Scattalon, seeing Ciucio get recognition for his ranking brings him great satisfaction.

Scattalon said, “It feels great. When I was a player, we never had someone in the top 25. So to see it shows the commitment that there is from the coaches and the players as well as the environment and culture of the team.”

Scattalon, alongside Bemisderfer, has high expectations for the team when their spring season kicks off. He believes that reaching top three in the Crossroads League is within their grasp. Against some of the nationally ranked teams in the conference, Scattalon wants the team to “stay very competitive.”

Ciucio shares Scattalon’s ambitions. He said, “To be honest, I came here to win the conference, so that’s my goal. Obviously that sometimes can’t happen, there are a lot of things we cannot control. But yes, that’s the goal, win the conference and show the people what Goshen has to offer.”