IRVINE, Calif. - Bjorn Hoffmann naturally gravitated toward the sport of tennis as a youngster growing up in Newport Beach, and his journey is now coming full circle as he returns home to play his final collegiate season at UC Irvine.
Hoffmann is no stranger to UCI as his parents, Carsten and Biljana, and his uncle, Zoran Korac, are Anteater tennis alums. Both his mother and father still rank among UC Irvine's all-time win leaders. In addition, Carsten was a 1990 Big West champion at No. 2 doubles, while Biljana and Zoran were all-conference performers.
"We are ecstatic that Bjorn will be playing his final season of college tennis as an Anteater," said head coach Mike Saunders. "I played at UC Irvine with his dad, while his mom played for our women's program. I'm proud and grateful to have the privilege to coach and mentor their son.
"Since Bjorn called me to let me know he was coming to UCI, the Sister Sledge song, "We Are Family" has been playing in my head. UCI tennis strives to cultivate a family environment for our student-athletes. It's vital to both the success and value of our program. This season will be special in that regard with my former teammate Bruce Man Son Hing assisting with coaching duties, his son Bruce Jr., and my former teammate Carsten Hoffmann's son, Bjorn, competing as Anteaters in their final season."
Following in his family's footsteps, Hoffmann brings numerous accomplishments and accolades to UCI. The Corona del Mar High School standout was a two-time All-American and Ojai Tournament singles finalist. As a senior, he was named Southern California's Most Valuable Player by the National High School All-American Committee, and was tabbed the Orange County Register Boys' Tennis Player of the Year. Playing three seasons at No. 1 singles, Hoffmann helped the Sea Kings to their first CIF USTA Southern California Regional title in program history, while winning the 2016 CIF-Southern Section Individual Singles Championship.
Hoffmann, who was one of the top recruits in his class as he ranked 16th nationally and fourth in the state of California, signed his National Letter of Intent to further his athletic and academic career at Cal. He made an immediate impact on the program, finishing his first collegiate season with a 23-14 overall singles record. The true freshman went 3-0 during the Golden Bears' NCAA Tournament run, including a match-clinching victory against Northwestern that sent Cal to the Round of 16. Hoffmann also helped the Bears get back to the NCAA quarterfinals in 2019.
As a senior, Hoffmann was well on his way to one of his best collegiate campaigns before the pandemic brought everything to a halt. He had won seven of his last nine singles matches after coming off a 2019 tournament season that saw him advance to the doubles final of the ITA Northwest Regional Championships. He concluded the fall campaign ranked 22nd in doubles and 81st in singles in the Oracle ITA Rankings. Hoffmann finished his career at Cal with a 67-34 singles and 39-28 doubles record.
Hoffmann, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in legal studies, excelled academically at Cal as a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and two-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection.
With the NCAA granting another year of eligibility to the 2020 spring sport seniors, Hoffmann is ready for the opportunity to complete his collegiate tennis career in front of his family and local friends, while pursuing his Master of Finance degree at UC Irvine.
"Bjorn checks all the recruiting boxes for UCI men's tennis: he's a fierce and exciting competitor and one of the best collegiate players in the country in both singles and doubles; he's a natural leader and understands what it takes to win; he's serious and ambitious about his academic pursuits; he's a local, born and raised in Newport Beach, a Sea King legend, and one of the best players to come out of Orange County in the last decade; and he's a triple UCI tennis legacy," added Saunders. "While we will only have Bjorn for one season, he will invigorate our program with a healthy dose of hometown talent and big time college tennis experience."
