AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State tennis program has signed four athletes to letters of intent, head coach Jaron Maestas announced Wednesday.

“I am super excited to have this group signed with ISU,” Maestas said. “When I took the job in July it was a blank slate and as this has started to come together, I am excited for the kids that we have signed. There is a storm building and the future of Cyclone Tennis is ready to keep moving forward.”

Maestas and his assistant Yair Banuelos have worked vigorously to put together a roster for the 2023-24 season and two of the signees, Ashlee Narker and Valeska San Martin Ramirez, will complete the roster by joining the Cyclones in January.

Narker, a Saint Ives, Australia, native, currently holds a WTA ranking of 1,144, while her Universal Tennis rating is 9.54. She climbed to as high as 303 in the Junior ITF rankings.

“Ash is an awesome kid,” Maestas said. “She is the first deaf women’s tennis player to obtain a WTA ranking. Her passion for the sport will bring excitement to the team this spring.”

San Martin Ramirez, a Machala, Ecuador, native, will also join the Cyclones in January. She owns a career-high WTA ranking of 1,280. San Martin Ramirez’s UTR is 9.10, while also having a Junior ITF ranking of 157.

“Valeska is a lefty we will add for the spring,” Maestas said. “Cyclone fans will love the energy and passion she brings to the court.”

Mari Paz Alberto Vilar will join the Cyclones from Alcala De Henares, Spain. She is ranked as the No. 42 player in Spain and owns a UTR of 9.62.

“I am really excited to have Mari as the first commitment for the Fall of 2024,” Maestas said. “She is going to be a player that brings the passion and energy we love in our players. She will be a big part of the future of Cyclone Tennis.”

Cristina Ramos Sierra is the second Spain native joining the Cyclones. Ramos Sierra hails from Madrid and joins the Cyclones with a UTR of 9.20. Her world tennis number is 18.2.

“Cristina was everything we are looking at in building our team culture around,” Maestas said. “She strives to be the best at what she does and wants to be a part of the Cyclone family. We are really excited to have her join us next fall.”