|
|
|
Lobos look towards inaugural Mtn. West Men's Tennis season
New Mexico ranked 31st after fall competition. (1/20)
Jan. 20, 2000 Whenever a long journey begins, a first step must be taken. For the University of New Mexico men's tennis team, the first steps for the 1999-2000 have already been taken in the right direction. Every year under head coach Alan Dils, the Lobos have moved up in the national rankings. Last fall, the Lobos checked in at No. 31, their best ranking yet. The team has consistently progressed as individual players have improved. Step by step, the Lobos have gotten better, and this year is no different. This Lobo squad has a great mix of youth and experience to compete in the newly formed Mountain West Conference. The new conference is comprised of Air Force, Brigham Young, San Diego State, UNLV and Utah. UNM is familiar with all of these teams since all were part of the old Western Athletic Conference. UNM returns seven lettermen and adds five newcomers. With the seven returnees, UNM has only one senior for the third year in a row. This season's senior, Matthieu Amgwerd, posted a 25-8 singles record during the 1998-99 season and an even better 17-2 mark last fall. In three of the four fall tournaments in which he was entered, Amgwerd advanced to the semifinals, and then won two. One of the two victories took place at the Rolex Region VII Tournament. Amgwerd and fellow Lobo, junior Nicolas Dubey, both won their semifinal matches, and both were declared co-champions. This marks the third year in the last four that a Lobo has been crowned Rolex Region VII singles champion. Amgwerd begins the 2000 dual match season ranked No. 10 in the country in singles, the highest singles ranking ever for a Lobo. Four juniors are part of the 2000 squad this year and have a wide variety of experience. Dubey, a returning All-American, is the first Lobo to earn this status as a sophomore. Dubey and partner, former Lobo, Pepe Caballero, won two matches at the NCAA Championships to become All-Americans. Dubey was declared singles co-champion of the Rolex Region VII Tournament last fall and finished with an 8-5 mark. Dubey played at No. 2 singles last season and finished with a 19-13 record. He committed himself to improving over the summer and by the results of the last tournament, dividends are beginning to pay off. Takeshi Itoh had a great sophomore season, coming within one victory of 30 wins in singles. At No. 4, he posted a 29-10 record. Even more impressive, was winning 10 of his last 12 dual matches. "No one works harder than Takeshi," remarked coach Dils. "Perseverance is his middle name and I expect only great things from Takeshi over the next two years." Kyle Russell was a redshirt last season and did not play. Russell played sparingly in singles as a sophomore and only participated in fall tournaments. He was used primarily in doubles, posting a 10-16 record during the 1997-98 season. "Kyle is overcoming injuries and has played some of the best tennis of his life last fall, and is close to taking a giant steps to being healthy," said Dils. The final junior in the quartet is transfer Andrew Irving. Irving, a transfer from the University of Texas, played sparingly. He is a local product from Sandia High School in Albuquerque. "Andrew had a great junior career in Albuquerque under coach David Pitts," Dils said. "Andrew has a great serve and adds size and power to the team." Two of the three sophomores received significant playing time last season, John Kowalski and Michael Polasek. Kowalski played at No. 6 last season and ran hot and cold. This season, there is a marked improvement. In the fall, Kowalski advanced into the fourth round of the Rolex Regional Tournament and is now ranked in the top-20 singles players in the region. "Last year, John became accustomed to college tennis," Dils said. "So far this year, he is mentally tougher and he has an increased competitive desire. The results speak for themselves." Michael Polasek did not arrive at UNM until January of 1999, so he did not have the chance to work on his game in the fall tournaments. Playing at No. 5, he posted an 8-13 mark. "Michael is one of the most talented players on the team," stated Dils. "If he can make a real commitment, then great things await Mike." Brent Salazar did not participate in singles much during the dual match season in 1999. However, Salazar was paired with Itoh primarily in doubles and posted a 20-11 record. "Brent did a tremendous job in doubles last year and is a real inspiration on and off the court to the team," said Dils. "He has the right attitude and enthusiasm for college tennis." Four freshmen round out the 1999-2000 squad for UNM this year. Jasmin Hodzic attended the prestigious Palmer Tennis Academy in Tampa, Fla. "Jasmin brings the element of size at 6-5 and a solid baseline game," Dils said. "He has shown the inspiration to work hard and put in extra time and with hard work, has chances to play in the top-6." Bart Scott arrives in Albuquerque from Colorado Springs, Colo., where he was the first male since 1994 inducted into the Mitchell High School "Wall of Fame." Scott was a state finalist in singles as a senior. "Bart is a great athlete and he showed his ability by beating some tough opponents," Dils said. He has a great attitude and work ethic and is always excited to play." Jens Weiss is the oldest freshman on the team at 22 and hails from Engen, Germany. Weiss was No. 6 among German juniors. "Jens is a talented player and he is dedicated to his college tennis career," Dils said. "He took an extra year to gain the correct diploma to attend a U.S. college, and I expect great things from Jens as he adjusts to college tennis."
Wael Zeidan is the final freshman that joins the pack this season. Zeidan
also attended Palmer Tennis Academy in Tampa, Fla. "Wael is another young,
talented player who will be in the learning process this year in
understanding what college tennis is all about," remarked Dils.
|
|
