The University of Mississippi Athletics
Lindmark Joins Exclusive Club
4/12/2015 | Men's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. -- The Ole Miss men's tennis team is presently ranked No. 14 in the nation and finished in the top third of the Southeastern Conference for the 17th time. Junior Stefan Lindmark has played a big part in helping the Rebels get back to the top of the SEC and in position to host an NCAA Regional.
The Stockholm, Sweden native joined an exclusive club the other night when he won his match at No. 2 singles to help the Rebels defeat South Carolina for the second time this season. Lindmark finished the regular season undefeated in the SEC at 8-0, becoming the fifth player in school history to finish league play without a loss.
Lindmark played all his matches in the SEC at No. 2 singles, and had four unfinished league matches, two of which he was up a set and leading the second and one in the third set.
Despite the individual accomplishment, Lindmark's focus after Saturday's tough loss at No. 8 Georgia was not on him, but the team.
"Coming into the season, I didn't really know what to expect from myself," he said. "I didn't even know I was undefeated until a couple of weeks ago when I saw it mentioned. I was just focused on being a good team member and doing whatever I could to help the team win."
The Rebels are making a push to host a regional for the 11th time and would like to solidify their résumé at the upcoming SEC Championship in College Station, Texas. They will face the winner of the No. 5 seed Vanderbilt and the No. 12 seed Arkansas/No. 13 seed Auburn winner Friday at 4 p.m.
"The most important thing right now is that we refocus for the SEC Tournament and earn a top 16 seed to host," Lindmark said. "We are going to work hard this week in practice to have a good showing in Texas. At the end of the season, I can look back on any individual accomplishments, but right now I am just focused on winning my matches to help the team."
Lindmark joined a club that interestingly includes all Swedes. Let's look at the previous four Rebels to accomplish this feat.
Johan Hede -- Falkenberg, Sweden
Three-time All-American Johan Hede went 11-0 in the SEC in 1996 on his way to earning SEC Player of the Year honors and helping the Rebels to their first ever SEC Championship and the NCAA Elite Eight. He became the first three-time All-American in school history and will be remembered for his match-clinching win in the 1995 NCAA Championships against Georgia that sent the Rebels to their first ever NCAA Finals match.
Paul Ciorascu -- Boras, Sweden
Seven years later in 2003, Paul Ciorascu turned in an impressive 11-0 record to help lead the Rebels to the SEC West title and the NCAA Elite Eight. He won seven matches at No. 3 singles, two each at Nos. 2 and 4 singles. Ciorascu earned All-SEC honors twice and also helped the Rebels capture their third overall SEC Championship in 2004.
Jonas Berg -- Helsingborg, Sweden
One of the most consistent players in program history, Jonas Berg rose from the lower half of the lineup to No. 1 singles and doubles and became a two-time All-American in 2009. In 2007 in his first year with the Rebels, Berg anchored the lower half of the lineup, going 11-0 in the SEC and finishing with a 20-1 dual match record to help the Rebels capture the SEC West title and reach the NCAA Elite Eight.
Kalle Norberg -- Uppsala, Sweden
Two years after that, Kalle Norberg was the only player in the conference to go undefeated in 2009, posting a 9-0 record in the top half of the lineup to help lead the Rebels to their fifth overall SEC Championship, the SEC Tournament title and the NCAA Elite Eight.
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Players Mentioned
