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The request was unlike any other Roeland Brateanu had fielded in his 11 seasons on the Utah men's tennis coaching staff.

Russell Benkaim called to ask Brateanu if he could join the team early. The four-star from Bradenton, Fla., wanted to get a jump start on his college career and receive better coaching.

Russell Benkaim Has Committed To Utah
© Bill Kallenberg

Brateanu crunched the numbers and realized it would work for both sides. Benkaim, 17, has signed his letter of intent and will arrive in Salt Lake City in January to begin school.

“It's an exciting opportunity for us. He will definitely add something to our team this year,” Brateanu said. “I think he will compete for the starting lineup in singles, and I know he is going to be in there in doubles. He is a great doubles player. We kind of feel a little bit lucky to fill a void where we kind of struggled in doubles last year.”