WILMINGTON, N.C. ? Less than two months after claiming their first Colonial Athletic Association championship and appearing in the NCAA Regionals, the UNC Wilmington men's tennis team continues to reap rewards from its banner 2009 season.
The Seahawks have been invited to play in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Second Annual NCAA Division I Kickoff Weekend in late January. Sixty teams will compete at campus sites on January 29-31, 2010. Four teams are seeded at each location, with the 15 schools winning both of their matches invited to participate in the ITA's National Team Indoor Championships at the Boar's Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Va.
UNCW, ranked 59th in the ITA's final weekly poll, will join host Stanford (10), San Diego State (42) and Oklahoma (47) in the Palo Alto, Calif., pod. Two matches are guaranteed at each site. On the opening day, No. 1 seed (Stanford) will face No. 4 seed (UNCW) and No. 2 (San Diego State) meets No. 3 seed (Oklahoma). The winners/losers square off on the second day.
“We're very excited about being able to compete for the National Indoor Championship,” said second-year UNCW coach Mait DuBois, the CAA's Coach-of-the-Year. “This shows that our program has reached the national level, which has always been one of our goals. It also means a lot because national rankings are used to determine the field.
“Competing for a national championship and being grouped among the national elite is a huge step for our program. We have always talked about the great things that can happen when you work hard, stay focused and work together. We feel good about accomplishing another one of our goals and will be prepared and confident when we play against Stanford in January.”
ITA Kickoff Weekend Sites/Seeds
Palo Alto, Calif. - Stanford, San Diego State, Oklahoma, UNCW; Los Angeles, Calif: - Southern California, Radford, Yale, Vanderbilt; Columbus, Ohio ? Ohio State, Tulsa, Notre Dame, New Mexico; Oxford, Miss. ? Mississippi, Indiana, Columbia, Arkansas; Los Angeles, Calif. ? UCLA, Pepperdine, South Florida, Hawaii; Athens, Ga. ? Georgia, Miami, UNC Chapel Hill, Northwestern; Waco, Texas ? Baylor, TCU, TAMU-Corpus Christi, Iowa; Knoxville, Tenn. ? Tennessee, South Carolina, VCU, Utah; Austin, Texas ? Texas, Texas Tech, California, Middle Tennessee State; Gainesville, Fla. ? Florida, Georgia Tech, Penn State, Furman; Champaign, Ill. ? Illinois, Boise State, Washington, Virginia Tech; Tallahassee, Fla. ? Florida State, Louisville, LSU, Wisconsin; College Station, Texas ? Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Rice, Fresno State; Lexington, Ky. ? Kentucky, Wake Forest, Minnesota, Michigan; Tuscaloosa, Ala. ? Alabama, Auburn, Duke, Arizona.
