Out Of The Shadows

Sept. 24, 2002

By Kimberly Ling

Assistant Sports Information Director

He was a virtual unknown four years ago. Even his present coach had never heard of him and had to be convinced to take a chance on this junior tennis player from Klippan, Sweden. It didn't take long for Ole Miss men's tennis head coach Billy Chadwick to realize that he had found something special in Rebel senior Alex Hartman, who has worked to become one of the nation's top players.

So how did someone that wasn't even one of the top junior players in his own country make his way to Ole Miss and one of the top programs in the nation? A former Rebel All-American, Joakim Appelqvist, who also happened to be from Sweden, told Chadwick about Hartman and the rest is history.

"Joakim, a friend of mine, convinced Coach Chadwick to recruit me," Hartman said. "Coach didn't know who I was and neither did any of the other team members from Sweden. I wasn't highly ranked in juniors in Sweden and never imagined going to a good program like Ole Miss."

Not having high rankings didn't deter Chadwick from offering Hartman an opportunity. Chadwick looked past the rankings, and saw a strong work ethic, determination and desire - qualities that can't be measured by numbers.

"Alex is a player who made a big, big jump in his last year of high school," Chadwick said. "In his freshman year at Ole Miss, Alex improved more than any other player in the country, and he enters his senior year as a contender for the NCAA singles crown."

And that NCAA singles title would be the proverbial "icing on the cake" for Hartman, who has had an honor-filled career at Ole Miss. In his first season, Hartman was a 2000 Southeastern Conference Indoor singles finalist and ended the year as the second-highest ranked freshman in the country at No. 27. He posted a 33-18 overall record and was one of only three freshmen to qualify for the NCAA Singles Championships. He earned All-SEC honors and won the prestigious ITA's Region III Player-to-Watch Award.

Hartman followed up his freshman debut with another stellar year in 2001, becoming the 16th All-American in the history of the Rebel program and reaching the round of 16 at the NCAA Singles Championships. He also earned first team All-SEC honors and ended the year ranked No. 14 in the nation. Last year, Hartman battled through illness and injury most of the spring to earn All-SEC honors for the third time.

"Alex was willing to take the court at any time for the team," Chadwick said. "Alex's effort and 'never-say-die' attitude were instrumental in winning the SEC Western Division title and advancing to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen."

The secret of Hartman's success is quite simple - old-fashioned hard work. He spends much of his time between classes practicing at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center, and that's in addition to the regular team practice that takes place every afternoon. Crazy you think? For Hartman, it's become a way of life and something he actually enjoys.

"I am always striving to improve as a player," Hartman said. "I like to work hard and practice extra in the mornings as much as I can. I am very disciplined. The extra work has helped my game, and that has produced good results."

For the past three years, Hartman has quietly gone about his business on the team, but now it's his turn to be the one the team looks to for leadership. While some players relish in being the outspoken type of leader, Hartman prefers to lead by example.

"This year will be different for me," Hartman said. "I am not used to being a vocal leader. I am going to keep doing what I do best, work hard and lead by my actions rather than my words. I want everyone to be a leader on this team."

Hartman also wants to be a part of another SEC Championship team and advance further than the Sweet Sixteen at the NCAA Championships. For Hartman, last year's run at the NCAA Final 16 was bittersweet.

"Last year was the first time for me to go to the Sweet Sixteen, and it was amazing," Hartman said. "I played my best match of the season that day, but it was disappointing, as a team, that we didn't advance. We were up 3-1 at one point in our NCAA match against Pepperdine, but dropped three close three-set matches."

With five players back from last year's lineup, the Rebels are poised to make runs at both the 2003 SEC and NCAA titles.

"Paul (Ciorascu), Catalin (Gard) and Claes (Lindholm) played a lot this summer," Hartman said. "Claes and Catalin are now in their second year, and they know what it takes to win. Their record last spring speaks for itself. Paul is the one I see the most improvement in. Team chemistry is going to be our strength this year. We all get along great. We hang out both on and off the court."

Another reason Hartman is excited about his senior year is what will take place in April. The Rebels will welcome the best tennis in the nation to Oxford April 17-20 when they host the 2003 SEC Championships.

"It will be exciting to host the SECs this year," Hartman said. "The SEC is the premier conference in the nation. To have an opportunity to play the best on our home court and challenge for the championship is something we look forward to."

His accomplishments on the court duly noted, Hartman's outstanding work ethic doesn't stop there. He has achieved plenty of success in the classroom as well. A two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, Hartman also earned the coveted ITA Scholar-Athlete Award, given to the nation's top tennis student-athletes. He has been on one of the school's three honor rolls every semester of his career. While helping lead the Rebels to the SEC Western Division title and the NCAA Round of 16 last year, Hartman took 22 hours in the spring and made the Dean's Honor Roll.

"School is very important in life for me," Hartman said. "I take it seriously. My education has helped me on the court. When I practice hard, I study better. As I said earlier, I am very disciplined. I use my time wisely."

While he has aspirations on becoming a professional tennis player, Hartman will certainly have something to fall back on should that not work out. He will graduate in May with a degree in Finance as well as a double minor in Accounting and German.

But, for now, Hartman has his sights set on seeing the Rebels win another SEC title and advance beyond the Sweet Sixteen.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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