Men's Tennis Ranked No. 7 In Final Poll
6/28/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
After one of the most successful years of any Baylor athletic program, the Baylor men's tennis team ranked seventh in the nation according to the final ITA rankings, released Thursday.
The Bears ranked as high as fourth during the season, but were upset by TCU in the round of 16 at the NCAA Championships. Among the Bears noteworthy achievements were the first Big 12 title won by a Baylor men's team in any sport and a third-straight NCAA appearance.
Several of the Bears also finished among the country's best in the individual rankings. Senior Johann Jooste ranked 29th in singles after advancing to the round of 16 in the NCAA individual tournament.
Freshman Zoltan Papp ranked 87th on the heels of the best season for a Baylor freshman ever. Papp earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year and Region VI Rookie Player of the Year after coming to Baylor in January.
In doubles, the team of David Hodge and Mark Williams finished the year ranked eighth. The pair had been listed among the top ten doubles teams in the nation since December, ranking as high as second (April 26). Hodge and Williams also advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA doubles championships.
Jooste and Pawel Gajdzik teamed as the 49th-ranked doubles team. The pair finished the year as the No. 2 Doubles Big 12 Champions, thanks to a perfect 8-0 conference record.
The Baylor women's team finished in 19th, a position they held for much of the spring. The women were led in singles by 21st-ranked junior Jahnavi Parekh. Parekh began the season unranked but jumped to No. 17 early in the year. She later proved she deserved her ranking by claiming the Big 12 No. 1 singles title and advancing to the round of 16 at the NCAA individual tournament.
Sophomore Katja Kovac ended the season ranked 73rd after having won the Big 12 No. 2 singles title, thanks to a 9-2 conference record.
In doubles, Kovac teamed with freshman Vida Mulec to form the 44th-ranked doubles pair. The pair put together a 17-4 record and earned All-Big 12 honors this season. Final ITA Collegiate Men's Tennis Rankings
June 1, 2000
1. Stanford
2. Florida
3. Tennessee
4. UCLA
5. Duke
6. Illinois
7. BAYLOR
8. Texas A&M
9. Virginia Commonwealth
10. TCU
11. Pepperdine
12. LSU
13. SMU
14. Mississippi
15. Fresno State
16. Texas
17. Southern California
18. Georgia
19. San Diego State
20. Minnesota
21. North Carolina
22. Mississippi State
23. Michigan
24. Miami (Fla.)
25. South Alabama
Final ITA Collegiate Women's Tennis Rankings
June 1, 2000
1. Georgia
2. Stanford
3. Florida
4. California
5. Wake Forest
6. UCLA
7. Duke
8. Texas
9. Arizona State
10. Pepperdine
t11. Vanderbilt
t11. Southern California
13. Notre Dame
14. South Alabama
15. Northwestern
16. William and Mary
17. Tennessee
18. Mississippi
19. BAYLOR
20. South Carolina
21. LSU
22. Florida State
23. Ohio State
24. Arizona
25. Tulsa
For more information contact: Jeff Brown, (254) 710-3065, Jeffrey_Brown@baylor.edu
