PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Portland Pilots men's tennis program will add Nicolas Ocana, a transfer from Mississippi State University, to the roster for the 2022 spring season. He joins the program with three years of eligibility remaining.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to pursue my tennis career as well as my academic studies at the University of Portland," Ocana said. "I'm looking forward to meeting the team and competing by their side. I can't wait to start training with coach (Aaron) Gross and learn from his experience. Let's go Pilots!"

"We are really looking forward to having Nicolas joining us in January 2022," Portland head coach Aaron Gross said. "We have a great group of guys returning. He is a former top 200 ATF junior player and has spent last two years competing at a top-15 University. He brings a ton of experience and he's just looking for a shot to be a major contributor on a team. He will be a big part of our success over the next couple of years."

Ocana joins the team after spending last season as a member of the Mississippi State Bulldogs. He was a key contributor for the Bulldogs in the 2019-20 season, playing singles in the No. 5 and No. 6 slot and double in primarily the No. 1 spot. In doubles, Ocana was ranked as high as 27th in the nation.

Mississippi State has experienced plenty of success over the years in tennis. Last year, the Bulldogs made the NCAA Round of 16 for the 15th time as a program. They were consistently among the top 15 teams in the nation this year and have been named the SEC champs six times. 

Before playing collegiately, the Montreal, Canada native was a top junior player. He finished third at Indoor Nationals in both 2018 and 2019 and made the semifinals of a G2 event before joining the Bulldogs in 2019. 

The Pilots went 10-6 this past season and were tied for fourth in the WCC standings despite playing just six players all season long. All six of those players will return to Portland along with freshmen newcomers.