Oklahoma State University Athletics
Experienced Cowboy Tennis Team Enters Season in the Top 25
January 15, 2004 | Cowboy Tennis
The Cowboys are coming off an 18-5 season that saw them advance to the Big 12 Championship match against Baylor and to the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament. OSU is the only school from Oklahoma that has ever advanced to the Sweet 16 and they have advanced three times under head coach James Wadley.
Big 12 play will provide a tough test for a team that returns five players from last year's squad. Baylor is ranked second and trails top ranked Illinois by just three votes. Texas A&M and Texas are the other two Big 12 schools ranked ahead of OSU and they are ranked ninth and 13th, respectively.
The Pokes are the top ranked team in the Central Region and are followed by rivals Tulsa and Arkansas who are second and third, respectively.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to compete for another Big 12 Championship,” Wadley said. “We are returning an experienced team from last year that lost in the Big 12 Championship and hoped to be even better this year with help from our new players.”
The Cowboys currently do not have any individuals ranked, but will be led by Mark Van Elden and Yevgen Bondarchuk who were ranked 32nd and 55th, respectively, during the fall season.
Oklahoma State's women's tennis team is ranked 37th by the ITA in the initial poll. The Cowgirls are coming off a 17-7 season and their first Big 12 Tournament Championship.
