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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Erling Tveit, Jeff Clark Earn ITA Southeast Regional Awards
5/11/2006 | Men's Tennis
May 11, 2006
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss men's tennis sophomore Erling Tveit was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Southeast Region Player to Watch, while Jeff Clark earned the Assistant Coach of the Year Award as announced by the ITA Thursday.
The Southeast Region, considered the strongest region in the nation, includes the state of Florida and most of the Southeastern Conference. Tveit and Clark join seven other regional nominees on the ballot for the national award, which will be announced May 22 in conjunction with the NCAA Finals in Palo Alto, Calif.
Tveit, ranked No. 22 in the nation, earned All-SEC first team honors after going 8-3 in the SEC in his first season at No. 1 singles. With a 17-4 record at No. 1, Tveit helped lead the Rebels to their fifth consecutive SEC Western Division Championship. He also teams with Eric Claesson for a No. 8 national ranking in doubles with a 17-5 record at No. 1. In addition, Tveit qualified for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships and earned a No. 5-8 seeding in doubles.
"Erling followed up his phenomenal freshman year by claiming the Region III Championship in the fall," head coach Billy Chadwick said. He has been exceptional in both singles and doubles and the name of the award (Player to Watch) sums up Erling."
Clark is in his fourth season with the Rebels, having joined the team prior to the 2003 season.
"Jeff is very deserving of this award," Chadwick said. "He's been instrumental in our winning four straight SEC West titles and two overall SEC Championships as well as advancing to the NCAA Final Four in 2005. He is definitely one of the top coaches in the country."
In addition, the Rebels have finished among the top five nationally two of his first three years, including No. 3 in 2005.
"I would like to thank God for the opportunity to be at Ole Miss," Clark said. "I am thankful to work under a great coach in Coach Chadwick. He's one of the best coaches in college tennis and I've learned a lot from him that has made me a better coach.
"Working with some of the best players in college tennis, makes my job enjoyable and challenging. I have to thank the players and Coach Chadwick. The award is as much theirs as it is mine."
The Rebels are hosting an NCAA Regional at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center this weekend and will face Belmont Saturday at 11 a.m. in the first round. Auburn and Florida State will follow at 2 p.m. Saturday. The final will be played Sunday at 1 p.m. with the winner advancing to the "Sweet Sixteen."
Single day tickets for the regional are $7 and a two-day pass is $10.
