Sept. 24, 2005

SAN DIEGO - Dontia Haynes, who was a member of the men's tennis team for the last two seasons, died tragically in a motorcycle accident early Friday afternoon in San Diego. He was 23 years old.

A native of Bellflower, Calif., Haynes, who completed his athletic eligibility last spring, was finishing his degree in psychology at the University. He was scheduled to graduate next spring.

In 2005, Haynes was instrumental in leading San Diego State to a Mountain West Conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. He was ranked among the top 100 collegiate players nationally and played both singles and doubles for San Diego State each of the last two seasons.

Funeral arrangements have been set for 1 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Inglewood Cemetery Mortuary in Inglewood, Calif. The cemetery is located at 3801 West Manchester Blvd., Inglewood, CA 90305.

STATEMENT FROM SDSU MEN'S TENNIS COACH Gene Carswell:
"Our thoughts and heartfelt prayers are with his family and friends. This tragedy is a big loss not only for our tennis family but everyone at San Diego State. Dontia had a bigger than life personality that touched all of our lives deeply. He will be greatly missed by his SDSU teammates."

Please send in your thoughts and prayers to the Haynes family and the Aztec Tennis family below.

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