Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Feat Tremendous
October 05, 2003 | Cowboy Tennis
Cowboys were first in state to reach men's NCAA meet. The magnitude of the accomplishment probably did not gain the recognition it deserved.
So, in case the news was not received the first time around last spring, here's another reminder. The Oklahoma State men's tennis team did qualify for the NCAA Division I Championships last May in Athens, Ga.
While the feat may not generate the same level of excitement as a similar bid in basketball, do not be mistaken. This was a big-time deal.
The collegiate tennis scene is dominated by programs in the Pacific 10 and Southeastern conferences. Occasionally a program from outside those two leagues will post a breakthrough season and claim the championship. Illinois did just that in 2003.
For many programs, especially to OSU, earning one of those 16 precious berths to the national tournament each spring is a fulfilling goal. The Cowboys won their regional by upending No. 11 seed Minnesota to qualify for nationals, where they fell to eventual semifinalist and No. 6 seed UCLA in the round of 16.
"It was tremendous. We're the only team from this state to ever go to the final 16," said OSU coach James Wadley, who has had three of his Cowboys teams in the NCAA Tournament in his 31 years. "That's our goal this year -- to get back here to Tulsa and this fine facility for the final 16. All of us in this state -- us, Oklahoma and Tulsa -- have aspiring programs to reach that level."
The Cowboys have done it, and just might be poised to do it again next spring when the NCAA Men's Championships are played at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
Wadley's team only lost one player from a year ago, when the Cowboys were one of two non-seeded teams to advance to the round of 16. The team OSU brought to Tulsa this weekend for the Polo Tennis National Collegiate Preview did not have a few of the components that Wadley hopes will be used to make the run at a return trip next spring.
Junior Yevgen Bondarchuk, OSU's No. 2 player and ranked No. 55 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, isn't with the Cowboys this weekend. Wadley also hopes to add a couple of foreign players at semester break to bolster his team.
What Wadley presently has to work with, though, is a nice combination of talent and experience that can justify OSU's 2004 expectations of winning the Big 12 Conference and advancing at least another round at the NCAA Tournament.
Junior Mark Van Elden went 14-5 last year to earn All-Big 12 honors and advanced to the round of 32 at the NCAA. He's maintained success throughout the early portion of this fall's schedule, winning six of seven matches. Van Elden's lone loss came to Illinois' Brian Wilson 7-6, 6-4 at the Diadora Pro Championships in Costa Mesa, Calif., earlier this month.
"Mark is a talented player. He's not as strong in some areas, but if he had it all, he wouldn't be out here. He'd be playing on the pro tour and making a nice living," Wadley said.
OSU's No. 3 player, junior Boris Kuharic, finished strong last season by winning 10 of his last 12 matches.
"We have a couple really good players that can help us get to the final 16," Wadley said. "Now, people like Stanford and Illinois have three really good players. In tennis, you can go up or down really quickly. It's difficult to get back, but that's the goal our kids have."
