BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M women’s tennis head coach Mark Weaver officially announced the addition of two-time junior Grand Slam Champion Carson Branstine to the 2022 roster on Tuesday.
The Orange, California, native claimed the Australian Open and French Open junior doubles titles in 2017, with a pair of singles quarterfinal finishes at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open junior events in 2017 and 2016, respectively. One of the premier junior tennis players in recent history, Branstine peaked as the ITF No. 4-ranked junior player in the world during her electrifying 2017 season. Her career-high Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) of 12.02 ranks as one of the best among current Division I women’s tennis athletes.
“We are ecstatic to announce that Carson Branstine will be joining our team,” Weaver said. “Carson is quite possibly one of the highest-touted recruits in program history, and I know that she will do amazing things during her time here in Aggieland. Carson has all the weapons to play at the highest level and bring a lot of excitement to the court. Adding a player of her magnitude to an already very strong roster is the recipe for our team to do great things this season, and for many more seasons to come.”
Branstine joins the Maroon & White after a pair of one-year stints at both USC and Virginia, which she was forced to sit out due to injury. Her family is heavily involved in athletics, as her older sister Constance was a member of the USC women’s tennis program, while her eldest sister, Cassidy, competed for UC Irvine. In addition, Branstine is first cousins with Freddie Freeman, an All-Star first baseman for the 2021 World Series Champion Atlanta Braves.
While competing on the professional tennis circuit, Branstine was the 2018 $25K Pro Circuit Gatineau, Canada doubles champion. Additionally, she qualified for the Rogers Cup in both 2017 and 2018, placed second in doubles at the 2017 Quebec Premier International Tournament and has collected 13 Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) top 100 doubles wins.
“It has been a long ride with my college situation, being at two schools before this, but I have finally found home,” Branstine said. “The energy around athletics at Texas A&M and the Aggie family is unmatched. I am so excited to be around this amazing group of girls, as well as our incredible coaches and support staff. I feel so comfortable, and I am happy to be joining such an awesome group of people.”
Branstine is immediately eligible to compete for Texas A&M and will make her collegiate debut during the spring dual match season. The Aggies will begin play on Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022 at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center, with first serve against the McNeese Cowgirls at 12 p.m. followed by a 4 p.m. showdown with the Tarleton Texans.
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