OXFORD, Miss. – Wednesday brought more honors for the Ole Miss men’s tennis team, who finished the 2013 season ranked No. 10 in the nation, as senior Jonas Lutjen and sophomore Nik Scholtz earned top rankings in singles and doubles.
The duo capped an outstanding two-year run as a doubles duo with a final national ranking of No. 4. Lutjen and Scholtz ended the year ranked No.15 and 17 in the nation in singles, respectively. They are two of only six players to finish the year ranked top 20 in singles and top 10 in doubles.
Lutjen and Scholtz earned All-America honors in singles and doubles. This marks the second straight year for Scholtz to earn All-America distinction in both singles and doubles. Lutjen earned All-America honors in doubles for the second time and in singles for the first time in his career.
The pair, who advanced to the NCAA Final Four in doubles, helped lead the Rebels to a top 10 ranking for the 15th time in the last 20 years, their 20th consecutive NCAA appearance and their 10th SEC West title.
“Being named an All-American in both singles and doubles is a great way for Jonas to close out his outstanding career here at the University of Mississippi,” head coach Billy Chadwick said. “He supplied excellent leadership both on the court and in the classroom. Jonas’ success is centered on his tremendous work ethic, and he has played a major role in our success over the last four years.”
In addition to being named a two-time All-American, Lutjen (Schessel, Germany) concluded his career as the ITA Southern Region Senior of the Year and a two-time All-SEC honoree.
Scholtz (Caledon, South Africa) finished top 20 in the nation in singles and top 10 in doubles for the second year in a row. He also made the All-SEC first team for the second straight year.
“It is exciting for Nik to again be named to the All-American team in both singles and doubles,” Chadwick said. “He has proven to be one of the top players in the SEC and in the nation, and he will be returning next year with the goal of leading the team to a championship.”
Sophomore William Kallberg earned a final singles ranking of No. 92. The Stockholm, Sweden native joined Lutjen and Scholtz on the All-SEC team.
The Rebels had two doubles teams in the final rankings as the Swedish team of Johan Backstrom and Stefan Lindmark finished ranked No. 58.
Off the court, the entire team made the University Honor Roll and helped the Rebels post the highest GPA (3.39) among all men’s sports at Ole Miss. Lutjen graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in Business, while Backstrom and senior Adrian Forberg Skgogeng earned Capital One Academic All-District At-Large honors.
Looking ahead to 2014, the Rebels return four of the top six led by Scholtz and Kallberg. Backstrom and Lindmark also return, as well as Oxford native Zach Wilder and Joe Rogers. Freshman Vinod Gowda will be eligible to play next year and is expected to contribute in singles.
Lutjen plans to pursue a professional career in tennis and is presently playing in the ITF Futures in Mexico.
