Two of Texas' best tennis players sign with Wildcats
12/19/2014 5:14:00 PM | Men's Tennis
ABILENE - Abilene Christian head tennis coach Hutton Jones Friday announced that Texas high school standouts Cole Lawson and Joshua Sheehy have signed a National Letter of Intent to begin playing for the Wildcats in the fall of 2015.
Each is a four-star recruit according to TennisRecruiting.net with Sheehy ranked as high as No. 70 nationally (1st in Texas) and Lawson 86th (10th in Texas).
"We want to win and do so with the right kind of competitors," said Jones, who is at the start of his 19th spring with the Wildcats. "Cole and Joshua typify that, and I honestly cannot wait to have them here representing ACU."
Lawson is a native of Spring, Texas and senior at Klein High School, which also produced Wildcat tennis stars Micah and Kaysie Hermsdorf. Lawson serves as the Bearkats' team captain and has placed as high as third at the state championships while also competing year-round with the Giammalva Elite Tennis Academy.
Lawson has produced a 73-13 singles record and 111-19 doubles mark over the past three years at Klein and won the regional doubles title for the 2013-14 season. Right prior to starting high school Lawson attained a No. 1 ranking in Texas for Boys 12s and 14s. He was the USTA Boys 12s National Champion and later reached the Texas Top 5 in Boys 16s and Top 10 in Boys 18s.
Earlier this month Lawson reached the semifinals of the Cotton Bowl Super Championship and won his third-round playoff match against the tournament's No. 4 seed.
Lawson's deepest run this summer took place at July's Alamo City Super Championship, where he reached the finals of both the singles and doubles 'A' brackets. And in May, Lawson won the consolation final of the HTA Houston Level Four Super Championship, beating three five-star recruits along the way - two of whom are currently ranked No. 1 and 2 in Texas.
"Cole is a very good athlete who has been a top Texas tennis player for several years," said Jones. "He did all that in a young man's body, but has grown up physically and will be more than ready for hight level DI action."
Lawson and Sheehy met one another on the court several times this year. Sheehy was on the winning side three times in doubles and won their lone singles match in October during the quarterfinals of the San Antonio Tennis Association Super Championship.
Sheehy is coming to ACU from Arlington's Grace Preparatory Academy, where he is a four-year letterwinner, three-time MVP and Team Captain. His scholastic titles include the 2014 TAPPS 4A State Championship in doubles and two third-place showings at state in singles in 2012 and 2013. He and brother Jonathan also won the district doubles crown this spring.
His team, meanwhile, placed fourth at state in 2014 and finished as the runner-up at districts for the second consecutive spring.
Ranked No. 1 for most of the year in Texas Boys 18s, Sheehy helped his junior team win the 18s advanced national championship and competed on the Junior Davis Cup team representing the Lone Star State.
Sheehy and his partners won three USTA-sanctioned doubles championships played earlier this year at Canyon Creek, Houston and San Antonio. And last December, he and his father, Jack, won the father-son doubles title at the Cotton Bowl Classic.
"Joshua was ranked No. 1 in Texas most of the fall and has shown to me he has the capability to come in here and play very high in the lineup ... maybe No. 1," said Jones. "He and I have both set our sights high."
Sheehy's parents both played college tennis and became teaching pros. Laurie works at Rolling Hills Country Club in Arlington and Jack at River Crest Country Club in Fort Worth.
Lawson's family includes several collegiate tennis players, including his mother, Ruth, who played at both UC Davis and Texas-Permian Basin, and his uncle, Dale, at Biola University in Los Angeles. His cousin Zachary has played for Azusa Pacific the last two springs.
The ACU men's schedule begins the weekend of Jan. 24-25 in Dallas, where the Wildcats will battle Midwestern State, Troy and SMU.
Each is a four-star recruit according to TennisRecruiting.net with Sheehy ranked as high as No. 70 nationally (1st in Texas) and Lawson 86th (10th in Texas).
"We want to win and do so with the right kind of competitors," said Jones, who is at the start of his 19th spring with the Wildcats. "Cole and Joshua typify that, and I honestly cannot wait to have them here representing ACU."
Lawson is a native of Spring, Texas and senior at Klein High School, which also produced Wildcat tennis stars Micah and Kaysie Hermsdorf. Lawson serves as the Bearkats' team captain and has placed as high as third at the state championships while also competing year-round with the Giammalva Elite Tennis Academy.
Lawson has produced a 73-13 singles record and 111-19 doubles mark over the past three years at Klein and won the regional doubles title for the 2013-14 season. Right prior to starting high school Lawson attained a No. 1 ranking in Texas for Boys 12s and 14s. He was the USTA Boys 12s National Champion and later reached the Texas Top 5 in Boys 16s and Top 10 in Boys 18s.
Earlier this month Lawson reached the semifinals of the Cotton Bowl Super Championship and won his third-round playoff match against the tournament's No. 4 seed.
Lawson's deepest run this summer took place at July's Alamo City Super Championship, where he reached the finals of both the singles and doubles 'A' brackets. And in May, Lawson won the consolation final of the HTA Houston Level Four Super Championship, beating three five-star recruits along the way - two of whom are currently ranked No. 1 and 2 in Texas.
"Cole is a very good athlete who has been a top Texas tennis player for several years," said Jones. "He did all that in a young man's body, but has grown up physically and will be more than ready for hight level DI action."
Lawson and Sheehy met one another on the court several times this year. Sheehy was on the winning side three times in doubles and won their lone singles match in October during the quarterfinals of the San Antonio Tennis Association Super Championship.
Sheehy is coming to ACU from Arlington's Grace Preparatory Academy, where he is a four-year letterwinner, three-time MVP and Team Captain. His scholastic titles include the 2014 TAPPS 4A State Championship in doubles and two third-place showings at state in singles in 2012 and 2013. He and brother Jonathan also won the district doubles crown this spring.
His team, meanwhile, placed fourth at state in 2014 and finished as the runner-up at districts for the second consecutive spring.
Ranked No. 1 for most of the year in Texas Boys 18s, Sheehy helped his junior team win the 18s advanced national championship and competed on the Junior Davis Cup team representing the Lone Star State.
Sheehy and his partners won three USTA-sanctioned doubles championships played earlier this year at Canyon Creek, Houston and San Antonio. And last December, he and his father, Jack, won the father-son doubles title at the Cotton Bowl Classic.
"Joshua was ranked No. 1 in Texas most of the fall and has shown to me he has the capability to come in here and play very high in the lineup ... maybe No. 1," said Jones. "He and I have both set our sights high."
Sheehy's parents both played college tennis and became teaching pros. Laurie works at Rolling Hills Country Club in Arlington and Jack at River Crest Country Club in Fort Worth.
Lawson's family includes several collegiate tennis players, including his mother, Ruth, who played at both UC Davis and Texas-Permian Basin, and his uncle, Dale, at Biola University in Los Angeles. His cousin Zachary has played for Azusa Pacific the last two springs.
The ACU men's schedule begins the weekend of Jan. 24-25 in Dallas, where the Wildcats will battle Midwestern State, Troy and SMU.
ACU Press Conference: Abilene Flying Bison to Play at ACU in 2026
Monday, April 06
ACU Baseball: Rick McCarty Press Conference | April 6, 2026
Monday, April 06
ACU Softball: Jo Koons Press Conference | April 6, 2026
Monday, April 06
ACU Baseball: Rick McCarty Press Conference | March 31, 2026
Tuesday, March 31
