Since becoming the first Cerritos College men's tennis player to win the CCCAA State singles and doubles championship in the same year (2014), Nathan Eshmade has gone on to lead UC Santa Barbara to a pair of conference championships and has announced he is turning pro. Eshmade posted a 47-2 career record in singles play, which included winning the CCCAA State Championship and going undefeated (22-0) as a sophomore. He also teamed with Amadi Kagoma to capture the doubles title, making him the first ever Cerritos tennis player to sweep the two titles in the same season and first in the state since 2005.

He parlayed his success with the Falcons into a scholarship to UC Santa Barbara, where we worked his way to their #1 singles and doubles spot and helped the Gauchos win the Big West Conference championship two years in a row.

"My experience at UC Santa Barbara was nothing short of amazing," said Eshmade (pictured, left in the 2014 state singles championships). "But I would not of even had the slightest chance of going to UCSB without the support and direction of my Cerritos coach, Alvin Kim. During my time at Cerritos, I had to make sure I transferred within a year and a half to get to a D1 school, which means I had to stack classes and pretty much win out on everything. Alvin taught me to persevere and just get things done, which my sophomore year I really understood and ended up going undefeated while attending six classes at the time, passing all of them and signing with UCSB. At UCSB, I finished playing at the top of the singles and doubles line-up, an absolute dream come true. My coach here at UCSB, Marty Davis, has really improved my game. He has noticed my strengths and weaknesses and has worked with me closely to get it all right. Marty has done the pro circuit before and is very knowledgeable on the subject. He believes I have the potential to do something with this sport, which is a huge drive for myself!"

According to Kim, "Nathan's an incredible worker. He finished his AA in three full semesters and graduated from UCSB two years after that. He rose to #1 singles and doubles at UCSB, leading his team to two conference championships. I'm not surprised that he's going pro, with his work ethic he has a high ceiling and we could be watching him on TV soon."

Eshmade will head home to Australia for a short while before competing in his first professional tournament in either Indonesia or Egypt. He stated that world travel is a bit of a concern at this time, but will probably compete at a tournament in Jakarta, which is in Indonesia.

"The beauty about this is that I will train with many people I don't even know yet!", added Eshmade. "What I mean is at these tournaments, many players are traveling individually and always are looking for people to room with, hit with and have a lifelong relationship with, so I am super excited to get the ball rolling."

While with the Falcons, Eshmade earned just about every award possible, which included being a two-time All-American, winning the state singles and doubles titles, the South Coast Conference singles and doubles championships two years in a row, as well as the conference's Athlete of the Year twice, CCCAA State Male Athlete of the Month, the ITA singles and doubles championship, ITA Rookie of the Year and was the team captain as a sophomore.

"I had so many great memories while at Cerritos College, which included the people at the school themselves," continued Eshmade. "Being a tall Australian 'white boy' in a predominantly Hispanic/Asian environment was totally a new concept for me. I remember my first day coming in, being the outcast, but was welcomed by many people with open arms and made my time there so simple. Everyone was willing to help me out with whatever I needed and it really made me respect the community there."

"Also, I lived in Norwalk, which was just under a mile walk to school, which I did every day," added Eshmade. "I had heard it was an environment where you did not want to be out at dark. I always had to walk through these tire places to school with people working there that didn't look too friendly. One day, I decided to go and introduce myself to these people. Expecting nothing but a stare down, I was totally surprised when they were being joyful and happy that I approached them, because they were apprehensive to approach me. Everyday when I walked past, we always acknowledged each other and even went for coffee and donuts many times. This really taught me a lot and am so glad I experienced this adventure."

But now, Eshmade will be moving on to the professional circuit, which will allow him the opportunity to meet many new people in many different cultures. But the tall Australian is excited for the new adventure and feels the last four years has prepared him to compete at a much more competitive level.

"Trying to turn into a professional in any sport is always a tough choice," stated Eshmade. "Not knowing how you will do and how good you may be is always a dangerous path. I am just taking this step by step and have been doing all the right things towards becoming a professional athlete. Putting in the time in the weight room, having good nutrition, staying healthy, and putting many hours of work in on the tennis court. My friends and family have supported me all throughout college through the sport and have showed their continued support in my decision to give this sport a crack on the circuit. Right now I am talking to some companies about sponsorships, but nothing is locked in because during college you don't get the chance to play many tournaments and get a ranking - which sponsors base most of there decisions off of."