Oklahoma State University Athletics
Men's Tennis Heads for NCAA Championships
May 01, 2003 | Cowboy Tennis
Coach James Wadley’s Cowboys, ranked 25th in the country, will face North Carolina on Saturday, May 10 at 2 p.m. (CDT). Oklahoma State is 16-4 on the season and fresh from a Big 12 Conference championship match against Baylor. North Carolina, OSU’s first-round opponent, is 11-11.
A Cowboy victory over North Carolina, would propel them into a second round match against either Minnesota or Binghamton, the other first round match. Minnesota is the host of the first and second round and has a 20-5 season record.
“This has been kind of a dream season for us,” said Coach Wadley. “We were ranked 69th in the preseason and finished 25th. We are 16-4 and our only losses have been to highly ranked teams (Baylor, Tulane and Texas). We upset Texas A&M, Texas and Rice and we’re basically playing with three freshmen, two sophomores a junior and a senior.”
It’s the second time in three years the Cowboys have been selected to the NCAA field. OSU narrowly missed the 64-team field last year, which makes this year’s selection even more gratifying.
“We were selected in 2001 and on the bubble last year,” Wadley said. “Getting back in the field this year is tremendous, especially for a young team.”
The first and second rounds in Minneapolis will be played at the Baseline Tennis Center, brand new facility at the University of Minnesota. Tickets are available for the two-day event by calling the Minnesota ticket office at 612-625-2377.
