Oklahoma State University Athletics
Van Elden Set to Play in the NCAA Tennis Championships
May 24, 2004 | Cowboy Tennis
There is a saying that practice makes perfect. Oklahoma State junior Mark Van Elden has been practicing tennis every day since the age of five and will strive for perfection next week at the NCAA Tennis Championships.
The Van Elden household treated tennis almost like it was a chore. The children were not allowed to eat dinner until after they had practiced. They could not have asked for any better results. Their daughter Kristen reached the professional circuit, while Mark is playing the highest level of collegiate tennis.
“I thank my parents every day for how hard they pushed me,” Van Elden said. “I wished they would have pushed me harder.”
Van Elden will begin play in the individual draw of the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa. His first opponent and path to an NCAA title have yet to be determined, but he insists it really does not matter who he plays.
“You have to be able to beat everybody if you want to win a championship. I am ready physically, and just have to focus on what I am doing.”
Van Elden began working towards this season as soon as the last one ended. He trained with the cross country team in addition to his weight regime. His philosophy is that no one can beat him because no one has been working harder than he has.
“It is not what you do the day before your match to get you ready, but what you do the year before,” Van Elden stated.
The Australian native hopes to have an advantage over the rest of the field living just 65 miles to the west in Stillwater. He has had the opportunity to play at the facility throughout the season and will have the luxury of having friends being able to cheer him on.
Van Elden did not take a direct route to Stillwater. Coming out of high school he was recruited pretty heavily by many of the SEC schools and eventually wound up at Auburn. The first year there was a struggle and it did not take long for him to decide he wanted to leave.
James Wadley received a phone call one night and said he would love to see Mark wearing orange. Wadley was in on the initial recruiting process and felt fortunate to get Van Elden's service for three years.
“ I received a scholarship and got a chance to play the No. 1 position after I was playing the No. 5 at Auburn. Coach Wadley took a gamble on me and it has really paid off for both of us.”
Coming to Oklahoma State has given Van Elden an opportunity he might not have gotten at Auburn. He has compiled a 19-3 record and is currently the 24th-ranked player in the country. Only 64 players have the opportunity to play for an individual championship and he ranks in the top half of the field.
He says he would like to win for himself, but also for his university and the tennis program. The effect it would have on recruiting would be tremendous. Van Elden is one one of six foreign born players on the Oklahoma State roster, and he would like to see at least a few Americans wanting to come to OSU.
“I think it would show potential recruits that you can win a championship at Oklahoma State, and that you do not have to go to California or the southeast.”
The goal for any amateur athlete is to play for pay and an individual title would be bring him one step closer to achieving that goal. Coach Wadley and the rest of the Cowboys just hope it is later rather than sooner.
