The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Tennis Ranked In Nation's Top Five
1/8/2002 | Men's Tennis
Jan. 8, 2002
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss men's tennis team begins the 2002 season ranked No. 5 in the nation in the preseason national rankings released Tuesday by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The Rebels have started the year ranked in the top 10 nationally every year since 1994.
Ole Miss ended the 2001 campaign ranked No. 10 nationally, with a 18-8 record and advanced to the NCAA Championships for the eighth consecutive year.
The Rebels return five of six starters in 2002 led by junior All-American Alex Hartman, who is ranked No. 21 in singles. Senior Kristofer Stahlberg, one of the Rebels most consistent performers, is ranked No. 51 in the nation.
Sophomore Paul Ciorascu, after an excellent fall, made his debut in the national rankings at No. 64. A key factor in the Rebels' lineup, is a healthy Martin Selin, who was hampered last spring with a shoulder injury and returns for his senior campaign. Junior Patrick Chucri rounds out the list of returning veterans in the lineup.
Joining the team this January, and expected to make immediate contributions, are Claes Lindholm (Sweden) and Catalin Gard (Romania).
Defending NCAA Champion Georgia holds the top spot in the rankings followed by Stanford, UCLA, Tennessee and Ole Miss rounding out the top five. The next five includes Illinois, Notre Dame, Pepperdine, SMU and Duke.
"It's exciting to be one of the three SEC teams ranked in the top five of the nation," head coach Billy Chadwick said. "The SEC's strength is in its depth. Last season SEC tennis became the only sport in the history of the conference to place all 12 teams in the NCAA Championships (64-team field)."
Starting Jan. 30, rankings will be released weekly through May.
Ole Miss opens the season Jan. 17-20 at the SEC Indoor Championships in Lexington, Ky. Their first dual match of the season is Jan. 24, when they host Arkansas-Little Rock. As one of the top teams in the nation, the Rebels will be among 16 teams competing in the prestigious USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championships Feb. 7-10 in Louisville, Ky.
