CLEVELAND, Miss. - Former Northwest tennis standout Samuel Turner will get a chance to showcase his talents at the four-year level, after signing with Delta State University on Tuesday afternoon.

A native of Maben, Turner reunites with former Northwest tennis coach Will Irvin at Delta State. He is only the second Northwest men's tennis player to sign with a four-year program, joining former Ranger teammate Chris Albert in the Delta.

Turner was a pivotal piece in helping Northwest to its first appearance in the NJCAA Division II Tennis Championship tournament last spring. Along with teammate Bratton Willoughby, Turner scored an 8-0 doubles victory against the duo of Sameer Jain and Carel Van Der Maraw of New Mexico Military Institute. The win helped keep the Ranger duo alive in the consolation doubles draw of Flight 2, while also earning them the distinction of winning the first national tournament match in Northwest history.

As a doubles duo, Turner and Willoughby fielded a 7-7 record together, while Turner finished the season with a 7-10 mark in doubles competition. In singles play, Turner posted a 7-5 overall record, mostly playing in the No. 6 slot.

Prior to Northwest, Turner began his college career at East Central, where he helped the Warriors to back-to-back national tournament appearances in 2021 and 2022. While in Decatur, he also played in the No. 6 singles slot, while playing primarily in the No. 3 doubles position.