Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Make 13th Appearance In NCAA Tournament
May 10, 2001 | Cowboy Tennis
May 10, 2001
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NCAA HISTORY
The Oklahoma State men's tennis team will make its 13th NCAA appearance
when it travels to Palo Alto, California for a first-round showdown with the
University of Florida. Saturday's match will be the first-ever meeting
between the Cowboys and the Gators.
OSU's last NCAA appearance came in 1998, where the Cowboys suffered a 4-2 loss to California in the first round. The Pokes last NCAA win came in 1990. Head Coach James Wadley's Big Eight champions knocked off the University of Utah, 5-3, in the first round.
ABOUT THE COWBOYS
OSU, winners of seven of their last eight contests, will be looking to
get back on the winning track after falling to Texas A&M in the semifinals
of the Big 12 Tournament.
The Cowboys are led by a pair of All-Big 12 selections, juniors Matt Prentice and Fran Krepelka. Prentice won the Region V singles championship in the fall while Krepelka has compiled a 30-7 singles mark in two years in Stillwater.
THE FIELD
Among the four teams that will begin play in Palo Alto is the nation's
second-ranked squad and defending national champion, Stanford. The Cardinal
bring a 21-1 mark into the tournament and have five-of-six players ranked in
the top 100, including No. 1-ranked Alex Kim. All three of Stanford's
doubles squads appear in the rankings as well.
The No. 31-ranked Gators enter the tournament with a 9-16 record overall and
a 3-8 mark in the rugged Southeastern Conference. Florida currently has
three singles players in the national rankings as well as two-of-three
doubles squads.
The Pacific Tigers will battle the Cardinal in the first round. Pacific, the 2001 Big West Conference Champions, enter play with a 14-10 overall record.
NO. 500
The 2001 season has been a historic one for Cowboy head coach James
Wadley. In his 29th year at the school, Wadley earned his 500th career
victory on April 4 as the Pokes defeated Wichita State 6-1. Currently,
Wadley's career ledger stands at 506-237. Along the way he has led the
Cowboys to 12 conference titles and has been tabbed as the conference coach
of the year eight times. Wadley is second at the school in victories behind
men's basketball coach Eddie Sutton and fifth all-time at OSU behind Sandy
Fischer (softball), Gary Ward (baseball) and Mr. Henry P. Iba (basketball).
PRENTICE IN SINGLES DRAW
In addition to helping his team reach the NCAAs, Matt Prentice has been
selected to participate in the men's singles draw. The New Zealand native is
the first Cowboy to qualify for the individual tournament since Rob Howarth
in 1999. That same year Prentice and Howarth nabbed a spot in the doubles
draw as well.
