The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Tennis Standouts Make NCAA Individual Field
6/21/1999 | Men's Tennis
May 8, 1999
OXFORD, Miss. - James Shortall and Martin Sjoqvist of the Ole Miss men's tennis team were selected to compete in the NCAA Individual Championships, which will take place May 26-30 in Athens, Ga.
Shortall was selected in the singles as an at-large from Region III, while he and Sjoqvist made the doubles field as an automatic qualifier from Region III. This marks the sixth straight year that the Rebels have had a representative in the NCAA Individual Championships and the 11th overall.
An All-SEC first team selection, Shortall posted a 33-15 regular season record, 12-10 in dual matches. The sophomore from Feilding, New Zealand, is currently ranked No. 25 in the nation in singles. This will be his first appearance in the individual championships.
In doubles, Shortall and Sjoqvist own a 19-5 overall record, 15-4 at No. 1 doubles and are ranked No. 18 in the nation. They were one of two automatic qualifiers in the doubles, marking the sixth year in a row, that the Rebels have had an automatic qualifier in the NCAA Individual Championships. Shortall and Sjoqvist were named to the All-SEC first team.
This will be Sjoqvist' third trip to the NCAA Individual Championships, as he competed in doubles in 1997 and in singles last year.
Both have some business to tend first - helping the sixth-seeded Rebels vie for a national championship in the NCAA Team Championships, which begin next weekend with regional play. The Rebels will host a regional May 14-15 at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center. They meet Navy in the first round Friday at 10:00 a.m.
