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Stotland, Kowalski Draw Tournament's Top Seed At NCAAs
Kowalski and Stotland will face Georgia's Isner and Ruiz on Thursday afternoon
May 24, 2005
Complete Release in PDF Format
Complete Bracket in PDF Format NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Seniors David Kowalski and Ryan Stotland's journey to the top of the national stage has officially begun, again. The duo, ranked 14th in the nation, open competition with the top-seeded team in the tournament, Georgia's John Isner and Antonio Ruiz. "We have beaten several of the teams competing in the tournament this year, including the No. 2 seed, Stanford's Sam Warburg and KC Corkery," head coach Alan Dils said. "We look at it as a bad draw for them, possibly the worst they could get." The field which consists of 32 teams, is seeded 1-8. After that, the remaining bracket is filled in with an at-random draw. "This is a great opportunity for David and Ryan," Dils said. "The results of the draw are not a bad thing." Stotland and Kowalski were automatic bids from the Mountain Region for this year's NCAA Doubles Championship. The competition will be conducted May 25-30 at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas, following the conclusion of the team championship (May 21-24). Each region receives automatic entry for four singles players and two doubles teams. The seedings for the doubles competition selected by the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Subcommittee are: Stotland and Kowalski, who have been viewed as underdogs all year on the national level despite an appearance in the finals of the ICY HOT/ITA All-American Championships, have continued to succeed. They finished the regular season 23-8 overall and 10-3 in dual matches at No. 1. Against the top-25 ranked pairs by the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association), the dynamic duo went 5-4 overall and are ranked 14th themselves. Of the eight seeded teams above, Kowalski and Stotland have faced three, posting a 1-2 record. They beat second-seeded Warburg and Corkery, 8-5 in the fall at the ICY HOT/ITA All-American Championships. They lost, 9-7 to Green and Wilson in the final match of that tournament. The duo also fell 8-6 to Skupski and Growcott in the fall. Stotland, who was invited to the doubles tournament in 2003 with then-senior partner Brent Salazar, lost in the opening round. It is the first invitation for Kowalski. Both guys did play in the NCAA Team tournament last year for the first time in their careers, losing to Washington's Vlaski and Chu en route to a team loss in the first round. For more information, a complete brack or to view live scoring visit the Tournament Central At Texas A&M. Match times should be set tomorrow afternoon following the day's singles matches. REIGNING ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN: Seniors Ryan Stotland and David Kowalski both made the all-MWC singles and doubles teams this year. It is Kowalski's third time making the singles team and second on the doubles team. It is the second singles selection for Stotland and third for doubles. Kowalski and Stotland were the only repeat doubles team to earn the honor this year. LOBOS LAST TIME OUT: Seniors David Kowalski and Ryan Stotland extended their doubles win streak to four matches with a convincing 8-3 victory over 31st-ranked Buck and McClung of Air Force in the opening game of the Mountain West Conference Championships. Unfortunately, the two could not propel the young squad to a victory, as the Lobos lost 5-2. KOWALSKI TIES RECORD: Senior David Kowalski tied the UNM record for most career doubles wins in his last match. Kowalski, now with 98 doubles wins, needs just one win to surpass Pepe Caballero's record of 98 set between 1995-99. Kowalski is also fifth all-time in career singles wins with 81, trailing leaders Divan Coetzee and Pepe Caballero by 15. LEAVING A LEGACY: Seniors David Kowalski and Ryan Stotland are wrapping up a memorable season. They have already set new highs for the UNM program and show no signs of stopping. In the poll for Jan. 13, Kowalski and Stotland were ranked No. 3 in the nation in doubles by the ITA. That ranking made them the highest in the history of the men's tennis program. This duo also set a new standard being the first to make it to the finals of a nation tournament in the fall. They took the stage at the ICY HOT/ITA All-American Championships and came up just shy of the title, falling 9-7. They are also aiming to be the first All-Americans for UNM since 1999. In order to do so, they will need to make it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships hosted by Texas A&M. Currently ranked 14th in the nation, they are 24-8 overall and 11-3 at No. 1 doubles. Kowalski and Stotland are 6-7 against ranked doubles teams including a 4-3 mark against teams currently ranked above them. IN THE RANKINGS: Senior David Kowalski returned to the ITA's singles rankings after a week out on April 19, coming in at 98 after winning four straight. With a week off before the MWC Championships, Kowalski dropped to 112 and following his loss at the tournament, wound up 124th as of the May 2nd poll. SENSATIONAL STOTLAND: Senior Ryan Stotland has been a dominant figure in the Lobo lineup. Stotland is 5-3 at No. 1 singles, 5-3 at No. 2 and 21-10 overall with a two-match win streak in tact after netting the only singles victory for New Mexico in the loss to Air Force at the Mountain West Conference Championships. But his biggest contribution comes in doubles, where he is ranked 14th in the nation with senior David Kowalski. Stotland and Kowalski are 24-8 overall and 11-3 at No. 1. Stotland has had to partner at No. 1 with freshman Max Jones twice because of a nagging leg injury to Kowalski. The two went 2-0 together.
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