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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Tennis Ends Year Ranked No. 10 In Nation
6/1/2001 | Men's Tennis
June 1, 2001
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss men's tennis team ended the year ranked No. 10 in the nation in the final WingspanBank.com Collegiate Rankings released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Friday. This marks the seventh time in the last eight years for the Rebels to be ranked top 10 in the final national rankings.
The Rebels posted a 18-8 overall record, finished third in the SEC, and earned their 10th NCAA bid. Ending the year ranked among the top 10 is a significant accomplishment, as the SEC led the nation with all 12 schools making the NCAAs and finishing the year among the top 33 teams. Georgia, the 2001 NCAA Champion, finished the year ranked No. 1 followed by Stanford, UCLA, Tennessee (NCAA Finalist), TCU, SMU, Texas A&M, Duke, South Alabama and Ole Miss rounding out the top 10.
"Our top three singles players played excellent the entire year," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "With inexperience and injuries in the lower half of our lineup, our top three players did a great job of leading us to this top 10 ranking."
In the singles rankings, sophomore Alex Hartman ended the year ranked No. 14 in the nation, senior James Shortall completed his career ranked No. 35, and junior Kristofer Stahlberg finished ranked No. 45 in singles. In doubles, Shortall and Stahlberg ended ranked No. 14. All three earned All-SEC honors and combined to post a 54-17 record for the Rebels at the top three positions.
Hartman posted a 28-15 overall record and made his second straight appearance in the NCAA Singles Championships, where he reached the round of 16 on his way to becoming the 16th All-American in the history of the program.
Shortall completed an outstanding career with a 92-52 record and made the NCAAs in singles and doubles three years in a row. He was an All-American and three-time All-SEC honoree. An excellent student-athlete, Shortall graduated from the University of Mississippi this past May.
Stahlberg became one of the most improved players in the country finishing with a 24-9 overall record and making the NCAA Championships in singles and doubles. He had an impressive 19-3 dual match record including a 16-match winning streak.
The Rebels also enjoyed plenty of success off the court, boasting the highest GPA among all men's sports at the University. Six players earned All-SEC Academic honors, and David Blackburn received the Taylor Medal for the most outstanding student in the School of Accounting.
"It's exciting to end the year ranked as one of the top 10 teams in the nation and to also finish with the highest GPA among all men's sports at the University," Chadwick said. "This is a tribute to the players' hard work and dedication throughout the entire year."