Sunday, 06/09/2013

OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss men’s tennis team ended the 2013 season ranked No. 10 in the nation in the final ITA National Team Rankings released Tuesday.  It marks the 15th time in the last 20 years for the Rebels to earn a final top 10 ranking.

Ole Miss won their 10th SEC West title and earned their 20th consecutive NCAA appearance, including hosting the first and second rounds for the 11th time.  The Rebels (16-9) finished the year with three top-10 and eight top-20 wins and advanced to the ITA National Team Indoor for the 18th time.

Individual achievements include sophomore Nik Scholtz and senior Jonas Lutjen becoming the seventh Rebel tandem to advance to the NCAA Final Four in doubles.  Both players were joined on the All-SEC team by sophomore William Kallberg.  Lutjen concluded his outstanding career as the ITA Southern Region Senior of the Year.

Off the courts, the entire team made the University Honor Roll and led all men’s sports with a 3.39 grade point average.  Senior Adrian Forberg Skogeng and junior Johan Backstrom were named to the Capital One Academic All-District Team.  Forberg Skogeng and Lutjen both graduated from the University of Mississippi.

“All-in-all it will go down as another outstanding year for Rebel tennis, marked by an SEC West Championship and a top-10 national finish,” head coach Billy Chadwick said.   “In addition to a great season on the courts, the guys did a tremendous job in the classroom to finish with the highest GPA among all men’s sports.”

The Rebels will return four of the top six in 2014, including Scholtz, Kallberg, Stefan Lindmark and Johan Backstrom.  Also returning will be Oxford native Zach Wilder, Joe Rogers and Vinod Gowda, who will be eligible to play next season.

Follow the Rebels on Twitter, @OleMissTennis and on Facebook at OleMissMTennis.