Dixie State women’s tennis coach Eric Pelton has announced the signing of four student-athletes for the team’s 2016-17 signing class.
The Trailblazers added twin sisters Frances and Maria Goldsmith from Honolulu, Kyra Harames from Spokane, Washington, and Alexandra Makashov from Toronto, Canada.
“This is an exciting year for Dixie State tennis,” Pelton said. "This is the strongest recruiting class in our program’s history. I can’t wait to hit the courts this fall with the team we have returning and all the new talent joining us.”
Frances and Maria Goldsmith spent time at two different high schools (Kalani and Roosevelt) in Hawaii before attending Okayama Gakugeikan HS in Okayama, Japan, during their junior and senior years.
Frances earned Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) Player of the Year honors as a freshman, recording an undefeated season. She won an OIA East championship with her second-consecutive undefeated season as a sophomore and earned a Hawaii state high school top-eight ranking. While in Japan, Frances earned two regional championships and helped her team to a top-eight finish at the Japan All-High School National Invitational Tournament.
“It’s an amazing and rare opportunity to get not only one but two great players in Frances and her twin sister Maria,” Pelton said. “With a very successful junior and high school tennis career in Hawaii and Japan, Frances will be a very strong asset to the team this year. This rare opportunity to get two very strong and competitive players that have played and trained at a high level together gives them added support and strength that will not only help them improve, but will also help our team as a whole.”
Maria earned first team honors as a freshman and sophomore, finishing in second place in OIA East singles play as a freshman and first place in OIA East doubles play as a sophomore. She was named Oahu Public Schools Player of the Year as a sophomore at Roosevelt HS. While in Japan, Maria participated in the Senbatsu National High School Tournament, earning a top-eight finish as a senior.
“Having played at the highest level throughout Hawaii and Japan, Maria comes to Dixie State poised to be a real stand out player,” Pelton said. “She has a number of strong wins and a lot of tennis experience. Her experience and aggressive strokes will allow her to see a lot of success in the PacWest.”
Harames prepped at Central Valley HS in Spokane. She earned four varsity tennis letters, landing first team All-League honors all four years. Harames played at No. 1 singles and was a two-time regional champion, two-time state semifinalist and four-time MVP. She also participated in gymnastics and was a member of the National Honor Society.
“Kyra is an exceptionally talented player with a lot of wins in her junior tennis career,” Pelton said. “She comes to us with a very good understanding of the game and has the ability to make a strong contribution to the team her first year. Kyra is set to make a difference at the college level, and I could not be happier that she is coming to Dixie State to make that difference.”
Makashov comes to Dixie State from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, after the school suspended its tennis programs upon completion of the 2016 season. She played at No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles as a sophomore at ECU, helping the Tigers to the semifinals of the Great American Conference Championships. She recorded an 11-23 record in singles play and earned a No. 15 ranking in the Central Region. Makashov played her freshman season at Cal State L.A., and helped the Golden Eagles to a No. 4 ranking in the region and No. 16 in the nation. She was 13-9 in singles play and 9-14 in doubles. She prepped at King City Secondary School and finished in the top six at the Canadian Junior Nationals in 2012-13. She helped claim the doubles title at the event for Team Ontario and was a provincial finalist for singles and doubles.
“We’re extremely excited to have Alex transfer to Dixie State,” Pelton said. “She has two years of college tennis experience with many solid wins at the Division II level. One of those years was in the PacWest, so she is no stranger to the conference. With her two years of college experience and smart game, Alex will be able to jump right in and make a big difference in our program this year.”
Keric Seegmiller is Assistant Coordinator of Media Relations at Dixie State University and the Voice of Trailblazer Athletics. Contact him at keric.seegmiller@dixie.edu.