CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – For the fourth time since taking over at the helm of the Illinois women's tennis program, head coach Evan Clark has turned in a top-25 ranked recruiting class. The latest Illini class is ranked No. 16 across the NCAA and No. 3 in the Big Ten.
"We are excited to be recognized for our 2025 recruiting class but we are more excited about the student-athletes we will be adding to our program," Clark began. "Elizabeth and Risa are terrific people and terrific tennis players and they will be incredible additions to our program. These rankings are only possible because of their hard work and accomplishments so we appreciate making these headlines possible. We can't wait to get them on campus next fall.
"I'd also like to thank Coach Eddins for all his tireless work on the recruiting trail. He has put a tremendous amount of effort into recruiting and these recruiting classes are a reflection of his steadfast commitment to recruiting. We are very lucky to have him and his talents here at Illinois."
Illinois' class includes Risa Ueno, ranked No. 14 by Tennis Recruiting Network and five-star recruit Elizabeth Isyanov, ranked No. 38 by TRN.
UCLA (No. 3) and USC (No. 5) were the lone Big Ten teams ahead of Illinois in the ratings while Wisconsin (No. 21), Michigan (No. 22), and Indiana (No. 23) also made the top-25 rated classes.
In 2017, Clark turned in his first ranked recruiting class, coming in at No. 15, which still holds as his highest. The next ranked class was No. 22 in 2019 followed by No. 24 in 2021 and this year's No. 16 mark.
Clark has yet to have a student-athlete transfer out of the program during their four-year career and has led his players to a 100% graduation rate.
