Nov. 5, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format
THIS WEEK — The University of Iowa men’s tennis team will travel to Ann Arbor, MI, to compete in the 2007 Big Ten Conference Singles Championship beginning Friday. The event will cover four days at the Varsity Tennis Center, with play concluding Monday. It will be Iowa’s final event of the fall season. The first and second rounds of the 32-player qualifying draw will be played Friday, beginning at 9 a.m. The first and second rounds of the 64-player main draw are scheduled to begin Saturday at 8 a.m. The third round and quarterfinals will be played Sunday and the tournament will conclude with the semifinals and championship match on Monday.
IOWA COMPETITORS — Bart van Monsjou, J.P. Ritchie, Christian Bierich, Reinoud Haal and Tommy McGeorge will compete in the main draw. In addition, Greg Holm, Walker Grimes, Gentry Kaegi, Austen Kauss and Patrick Dwyer will compete in the qualifying draw.
LAST TIME OUT– The Hawkeye men’s tennis team competed at the ITA Midwest Regional in Minneapolis, MN. The Hawkeyes had a successful tournament as they claimed records of 10-6 in singles matches and 4-4 in doubles matches. Senior Bart van Monsjou, seeded 16th, fell to sixth-seeded Raoul Schwark of Minnesota in the round of 16. Additionally in doubles play, J.P Ritchie/van Monsjou advanced all the way to the quarterfinals before falling to Heiser/Rowe of Illinois 8-2.
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT– The University of Iowa will be hosting this year’s Big Ten Tournament in April, 2008. The tournament will be held at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex (indoor) and the Klotz Outdoor Courts.
HEAD COACH Steve Houghton — Steve Houghton, the dean of Big Ten tennis coaches, is in his 27th season as head coach of the Hawkeyes. Houghton has a career record of 285-299 (.488). His best season came in 1984 when Iowa won a school record 21 matches and two Hawkeyes earned all-Big Ten honors. Four of Houghton’s athletes have also been selected Big Ten Sportsman of the Year. He became the winningest coach in Iowa tennis history in 1992 and is a member of the Iowa Tennis Hall of Fame. While playing at Iowa, Houghton had a career winning percentage of .727 (40-15), second best in Iowa history.
QUOTING COACH HOUGHTON — “We have had an excellent fall season and we look forward to finishing strong at a very tough Big Ten Singles Championship.”
Click HERE for the Big Ten Network home page.