DeLand, Fla. ? Coming off the most successful season in school history, the Stetson men's tennis team has been invited to take part in the inaugural Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Kickoff Weekend next January. The Hatters, ranked 61st in the final 2008 ITA poll and in the top 75 the last two months of the season, will be one of 60 teams competing for a spot in the ITA Indoor Championships. Stetson will travel to Columbus, Ohio to face Ohio State and either Virginia Tech or New Mexico in the first rounds.
Similar in format to such events as the Preseason NIT (men's basketball), four teams will compete at each of 15 regionals across the country Jan. 30-Feb. 1. First round winners and losers will meet on the second day with the 15 regional winners joining national championship host Illinois in the 16-team ITA Indoor Championships Feb. 13-16 at the Midtown Tennis Club in Chicago, Ill.
The top four teams in each ITA administrative region will earn automatic bids to the Kickoff with the next 28 teams in the poll receiving at-large berths. Stetson has drawn into a four-team pod hosted by Big 10 champions Ohio State and will open against the Buckeyes. OSU advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals and was third in the nation in the final ITA rankings thanks to four All-American players. The Hatters will take on either #28 Virginia Tech or #41 New Mexico in their second match. The Hokies reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament while the Lobos were regular season co-champions of the Mountain West Conference and advanced to the MWC Tournament finals.
“This is a great reward for our 2007-08 team to have our program invited for this inaugural event,” Head Coach Pierre Pilote said. “We had a great record this past year and our squad will get a great benefit from it next season. This event has the feel of a real national championship since it includes only the best 60 teams in the nation regardless of conference.”
Pilote also noted that Ohio State is considered an early favorite to win the 2009 national championship as the Buckeyes lose no players from their extremely talented lineup in 2007-08. Stetson will play OSU at 2 p.m. on January 31 in their indoor Varsity Tennis Center. The match against Virginia Tech or New Mexico will be the following day at a time to be determined.
The Hatters went 21-5 (9-1 Atlantic Sun) in 2008 and advanced to the Atlantic Sun conference tournament final for the third consecutive year. Senior Marcus Echtler (Venice, Fla.) and sophomore Hicham Laalej (Meknes, Morocco) were First Team All-Conference honorees while senior Joey Jones (Titusville, Fla.) mad the All-Atlantic Sun Second Team. First-year players Gokay Celik (Istanbul, Turkey) and Chris Swanteson (Vaxjo, Sweden) were Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team honorees. Stetson beat three Top 75 teams en route to its 14th consecutive winning season and its fourth 20-win campaign in the last six years.
