April 18, 2012
THIS WEEK: The University of Iowa men’s tennis team will conclude the regular season with two matches this week. Iowa will face Wisconsin on Friday at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium. The match will begin at 2 p.m. (CT). The Hawkeyes will finish the season on Sunday, hosting No. 40 Minnesota at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex. The match will begin at noon (CT).
SENIOR DAY: The Hawkeyes will be honoring four seniors on Senior Day; Mitch Beckert, Tom Mroziewicz, Christopher Speer and Will Vasos. Beckert is a three-time letter-winner and two-time academic All-Big Ten selection. Mroziewicz is a three-time letter-winner with 40 career victories. Speer is a two-time letter-winner who led Iowa last fall with a 10-2 singles record. Vasos is a four-time letter-winner with 132 career victories. Vasos has won Iowa’s MVP award and Big Ten Sportsmanship Award the past two seasons.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: The Badgers have a 10-11 record with a 2-7 mark in Big Ten play. Wisconsin has the 28th-ranked doubles team in Billy Bertha and Fredrik Ask. The Golden Gophers have an 11-6 record with a 6-3 mark in Big Ten competition. Minnesota has one ranked singles player and one ranked doubles team.
LIVE RESULTS: Live results of the Iowa-Minnesota match will be available at http://live.iowatennis.com
DUNN AND SWANK SHINE LAST TIME OUT: Junior Garret Dunn and sophomore Michael Swank scored a huge upset at No. 1 doubles against the Wolverines, beating the 13th-ranked doubles team in the nation. The Hawkeyes were defeated by two ranked Big Ten opponents last weekend, falling to No. 69 Michigan State and No. 22 Michigan by scores of 6-1.
DUNN ON WINNING STREAK: Dunn has won three consecutive Big Ten singles matches, improving his record to 9-9 on the season. Dunn’s nine wins lead the team.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE: The Hawkeyes have competed against 12 ranked teams in their last 13 matches, and have seen 13 ranked teams overall.
HEAD COACH Steve Houghton: Steve Houghton, the dean of Big Ten tennis coaches, is in his 31st year as head coach of the Hawkeyes. He has compiled a career record of 332-358(.484), recording the most wins of any coach in Iowa men’s tennis history. Houghton recorded his 300th win at Indiana State Feb. 6, 2009. He became the winningest coach in Iowa tennis history in 1992 and is a member of the Iowa Tennis Hall of Fame
UP NEXT: The Big Ten Championships are April 26-29 in Evanston, Ill.