Oklahoma State University Athletics
No. 12 Cowboy Netters to Compete at Big 12 Championships
April 26, 2007 | Cowboy Tennis
As the second seed, OSU (16-3, 4-2) will face seventh-seeded and 36th-ranked Texas A&M (14-10, 1-5) in the first round Friday at 9 a.m. The winner of the dual will advance to face the winner of the Texas/No. 6 seed match Saturday at 11 a.m.
While the Cowboys trail in the all-time series to Texas A&M, 15-8, they have won the last four against the Aggies including a thrilling, 4-3, win earlier this season in Stillwater. None of the four wins have come by more than two points.
The Cowboys continue to be led in wins by a pair of freshman in 25th-ranked Oleksandr Nedovyesov and Dmytro Petrov, with 15. Junior Ivan Puchkarov is the only other Cowboy ranked coming in at No. 29. Senior Artie Burmistrau won a share of the Big 12 Championship at No. 5 singles and is 4-0 all-time against the Aggies. The Byrnes' brothers, Daniel and Nathan, round out the singles lineup. Daniel is an All-American who has had success in the past at the Big 12 Championship with a 4-2 record. Nathan is a sophomore who has an impressive 8-3 mark at No. 6 singles.
Last Time Out
The Cowboys wrapped up the regular season by defeating in-state rival Oklahoma, 5-2, in Oklahoma City to win their 16th-straight in the series. OSU fell behind earl after dropping the highly-competitive doubles point. The Pokes rallied to win five of six singles matches to win the Bedlam dual.
Third Times a Charm
Freshman Oleksandr Nedovyesov has made quite an impact on the squad as he has been name the Big 12's Men's Tennis Player of the Week three times. The freshman phenom has won his last 12 of his last 13 and has wins over 11 individuals who are either ranked or have been at one point this season. All four of his collegiate losses have come to players either currently ranked in the top 10 or who have been at one point. One of those losses, to then-ranked No. 3 Arnau Brugues of Tulsa, he has avenged.
Streaking
The Cowboys had their 11-match win streak snapped last weekend at Baylor. Here is how the win streak stacks up against the best in the program's history:
1987-88 18
1980-81 17
1986 15
1959 14
1983 12
2006 11
1996-97 11
1985 11
1975 11
Big 12 Individual Titles
Last season, OSU crowned four Big 12 individual champions (two in singles and one doubles team). This season, the Cowboys did one better by crowing five champions in 2007 (three in singles and one doubles team). Here are the 2007 Big 12 Champions (champions are determined by total wins, co-championships are given in case of ties):
No. 1 Singles
Poerschke, Baylor 5-0
Nedovyesov, OSU 5-1
No. 2 Singles
Puchkarv, OSU 4-2
Pollock, TAMU 4-2
Martinez, TTU 3-2*
No. 3 Singles
Markovic, TTU 5-0*
No. 4 Singles
Zgaga, Baylor 6-0
No.5 Singles
Mueller, Baylor 5-0
Burmistrau, OSU 5-1
No. 6 Singles
Lukacs, Baylor, 6-0
No. 1 Doubles
Kutrovsky/Zavala, UT 5-1
No. 2 Doubles
Bain/Pollock, TAMU 3-3
Breler/Markovic, TTU 2-3*
No. 3 Doubles
Wooten/Ocvirk, TAMU 5-0
Puchkarov/Petrov, OU 5-1
*Texas Tech still has one match remaining.
600 Win Club
With a, 5-2, win over Penn, OSU head coach James Wadley became the seventh active coach to notch 600-career wins. In 35 seasons, he has a 609-273 (.690) record. He has spent all of his 35 seasons at OSU and, amazingly, has only suffered three losing seasons.
1. Paul Scarpa, Furman 797
2. Robert Screen, Hampton 738
3. Rich Gugat, Air Force 713
4. Ron Smarr, Rice 670
5. Chuck Kriese, Clemson 669
6. Bobby Bayliss, Notre Dame 661
7. James Wadley, OSU 609
Returning Cowboys
The Cowboys return six players off last year's top-20 squad, including Daniel Byrnes, a 2006 ITA All-American. The senior had one of the most successful individual seasons in Cowboy tennis history as he was an All-American, All-Big 12 selection and was seeded in the Individual NCAA Tournament, all while fighting severe back pains. Byrnes also paired with his brother, Nathan, to form the Cowboys' top doubles tandem. The duo was an All-Big 12 selection a season ago. Nathan also returns to the squad and will look to build on a solid freshman campaign.
The Cowboys also return 2006 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Ivan Puchkarov. Puchkarov, a junior this season, was also the Central Region Rookie of the year, Big 12 champion at No. 3 singles and a unanimous All-Big 12 selection during his first year in Stillwater.
Artie Burmistrau, an Academic All-Big 12 selection last season, went 17-3 a year ago and returns for his senior season. Also back are Oleksandr Kotsiuk, who went 12-8 as a freshman, and Jason Wright, a junior walk-on from Broken Arrow, Okla., who lettered last season.
Instant Impact
While Oklahoma State returned a solid nucleus in 2007 it was imperative for Wadley and assistant coach Yevgen Bondarchuk to add more talent to the roster, and that is exactly what they did. Oleksandr Nedovyesov and Dmytro Petrov joined the squad in January and have already made an impact. Nedovyesov has stepped in at No. 1 singles and gone 15-4, with 11 wins over ranked opponents, including a win over the No. 3-ranked player in college tennis. He is also the fourth highest-ranked freshman in the country and teams with Daniel Byrnes at No. 1 doubles. Petrov has been a force in the middle of the Cowboy lineup, where he currently leads the team in winning percentage and is tied with Nedovyesov for the team lead in wins.
Head Coach James Wadley
James Wadley is entering in his 35th year leading the Oklahoma State men's tennis program. His 35 years of service is the second longest tenure in Oklahoma State athletic history, trailing only the legendary Henry Iba.
Wadley has amassed 609 career wins along with 12 conference titles. He has also been named conference coach of the year 12 times. In his previous 34 years at Oklahoma State, Wadley has had only three losing seasons.
Assistant Coach Yevgen Bondarchuk
Assistant coach Yevgen Bondarchuk has made quite an impact on the Oklahoma State program entering just his third season on staff. The Oklahoma State alumnus is vital to OSU's international recruiting and landed the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Ivan Puchkarov. Bondarchuk was recognized as the Central Region's Assistant Coach of the Year for his work last season. Bondarchuk played for two years under Coach Wadley and was ranked as high as 55th at one point by the ITA.
