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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Tennis All-American Mondays: Part 4
10/28/2019 | Men's Tennis
ERIC CLAESSON: 2006, 2007
Eric Claesson concluded an excellent career with the Rebels in 2007, by earning All-America honors for the second time. He teamed up with Erling Tveit to reach the quarterfinals at the NCAA Doubles Championships and ended the year ranked No. 10 in doubles. Claesson, who finished ranked No. 80 nationally in singles, helped the Rebels capture the SEC Western Division Championship for the fourth time in his career as well as reach the finals of the SEC Tournament for the third time in his four years and advance to the NCAA "Sweet Sixteen."
In 2006, Claesson became the 18th All-American in the history of the program. He ended the year ranked No. 53 in the nation in singles and No. 7 in doubles. He went 4-0 in singles and doubles in the NCAA Regionals to lead the Rebels to the "Sweet Sixteen." An All-SEC first team selection, Claesson helped lead the Rebels to their fifth consecutive SEC Western Division Championship and the SEC Tournament final for the third time in the history of the program. He finished with a 36-13 overall record, 16-5 at No. 2 singles.
Claesson teamed with Erling Tveit for a 22-8 overall record, 19-5 at No. 1 doubles, including 9-2 in the SEC. The duo earned a No. 5-8 seed in the NCAA Doubles Championships. His first two years (2004, 2005), Claesson contributed to the Rebels winning back-to-back overall SEC Championships and advancing to the NCAA Final Four in 2005. In 2005, Claesson teamed with fellow All-American Catalin Gard for a No. 13 ranking in doubles. He finished with a 22-16 overall record, and won a pivotal match against Mississippi State as the Rebels clinched the SEC overall Championship with a 4-3 win.
CATALIN GARD: 2003, 2004, 2005
Catalin Gard became one of the best to ever play at Ole Miss, finishing with 112 career wins and leading the Rebels to consecutive SEC Championships in 2004 and 2005 as well as the NCAA Final Four in 2005. He was also instrumental in the Rebels' winning four straight SEC Western Division titles. During his senior year, Gard spent 24 weeks as the No. 1 nationally ranked player in collegiate tennis. He earned All-America honors becoming the second player ever to earn the distinction three years. Gard finished with a 33-6 overall record in 2005.
Catalin Gard had a stellar junior season, earning SEC Player of the Year honors after going 10-1 at No.1 singles against the nation's toughest league. He earned All-America honors for the second year in a row and finished the season ranked No. 4 in the nation. Gard helped the Rebels capture the overall SEC Championship and their third straight SEC West title. In 2003, Gard became the 17th All-American in the history of the program after finishing his second season ranked No. 19 in the nation. Gard posted an impressive 30-11 overall record, 17-5 at No. 2 singles and helped the Rebels win their second consecutive SEC West title. At the NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" in Athens, Ga., Gard won a crucial three-set match against Duke that helped the Rebels advance to the NCAA Elite Eight.
Gard burst onto the scene in 2002 as a freshman, keying the Rebels' first SEC Western Division Championship. He posted an 18-4 overall record, 17-4 at No. 3 singles and went 8-3 in the SEC in singles. He clinched key wins over Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi State. Off the court, Gard was named to one of the University's three honor rolls every semester. In 2004, Gard was selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-America District VI At-Large second team.
Upon completing his eligibility, Gard won two USTA Futures Tournaments during the summer of 2005. He returned to campus to finish his degree, and graduated from the University of Mississippi in May of 2006.Gard spent several years on the tour and reached a career-high 224 in singles. In the summer of 2007, he won several futures and qualified for the Romanian Open, his first ever ATP Tour event. He was named the ITF Player of the Month for June. Gard finished the year ranked second in wins behind Rafael Nadal and led all touring professionals with 95 matches played.
ALEX HARTMAN: 2001, 2003
Alex Hartman completed a stellar career in 2003 by earning All-America honors for the second time in his career. He finished the year ranked No. 7 in the nation in singles and became just the second Rebel ever to record 100 wins in his career. Hartman finished his illustrious career with 106 wins and only 57 losses. He became the first Rebel ever to earn All-SEC honors all four years of his career. Hartman qualified for the NCAA Championships all four years and was one of only three freshmen to make it in 2000. A two-time finalist at the SEC Indoor Championships, led the Rebels to back-to-back SEC Western Division titles in 2002 and 2003 and to the NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" his junior year and the NCAA Elite Eight his senior year.
Off the court, Hartman was an outstanding student-athlete. He received an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in 2003 and was a finalist for the SEC Boyd McWhorter Scholarship. During his career, he was named to the Verizon/CoSIDA District VI Academic All-America team, an ITA Scholar-Athlete and made the SEC Academic Honor Roll three times. A regular on the University Honor Roll, Hartman graduated from the University of Mississippi in May of 2003 with a degree in Managerial Finance.
JAMES SHORTALL, 2000
James Shortall ended his four-year career as one of the premier players in singles and perhaps one of the best doubles players in the country. He proved his prowess in doubles, teaming up with Vikrant Chadha to reach the 2000 NCAA Doubles Championships Final Four. In 2001, Shortall ended the year ranked No. 35 in singles and No. 14 in doubles. He earned All-SEC honors in singles and doubles, while posting a 24-8 record, 12-4 at No. 2 singles. Shortall ended the 2000 campaign ranked No. 51 in the nation in singles and No. 12 in doubles. He earned All-SEC honors and became the 14th All-American in the history of the program.
Off the court, Shortall was named to the 2000 GTE/CoSIDA District VI Academic All-America At-Large Second Team and was a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. He made one of the University's three honor rolls every semester of his career, and graduated in May 2001 with a degree in Managerial Finance.