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6 I Tuesday, November 7, 2006 | The Red & Black
WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW
Men’s tennis hopes to return to championship
By SAM STEINBERG
ssteinber@randb.com
Undefeated regular sea
son. SEC Champions.
National Indoor Team
Champions.
Last season for Georgia’s
men’s tennis team was histo
ry making, even though the
team suffered its only loss of
the season in the NCAA
Championship game, falling
to Pepperdine by a 4-2 score.
“I told them that they were
champions,” head coach
Manuel Diaz said. “You can’t
focus on one loss. It would
not be fair to them.”
Furthermore Diaz was
named SEC Coach of the
Year, while current senior
John Isner was the SEC
Player of the Year and fin
ished the season No. 2 in the
national singles rankings.
“Last year’s season was
just a dream season,” senior
Matic Omerzel said. “It was
just unbelievable going unde
feated throughout the entire
season.”
This season, expectations
are high for the Bulldogs
despite losing three starters
to graduation.
One of the starters the
team moves on without is
Colin Purcell, who set the
Georgia record for consecu
tive sets won at 33.
To offset the losses,
Georgia has reloaded its arse-
FILE | The Red & Black
A Replacing senior Antonio Ruiz (above) will be key for the men’s tennis team to return
to the NCAA title match. The team lost its only match in the championship last year.
nal with top talent.
According to the Tennis
Recruiting Network,
Georgia’s incoming recruiting
class is the best in the coun
try, highlighted by freshman
Jamie Hunt.
Hunt won the Junior
Doubles U.S. Open in
September and already has
played a few matches for the
Bulldogs this fall.
“I think he is one of the
hardest workers I have ever
seen,” Omerzel said.
In addition, the Web site
suggested that Hunt’s part
ner at the U.S. Open,
Nathaniel Schnugg, will be
arriving in January, along
with Christian Vitulli of
Kenya.
To make matters worse for
Georgia’s opponents, All-
American Travis Helgeson
transferred from Texas,
where he was the No. 1 player
MEN’S TENNIS
Head coach: Manuel Diaz (19th
season)
Last year’s record: 30-1 (11-0
SEC)
Last year’s finish: SEC
Champions, NCAA tournament run
ner-up
Returning players: Six
Key players: John Isner (Sr.), Luis
Flores (Jr.), Travis Helgeson (Jr.)
Key losses: Strahinja Bobusic,
Colin Purcell, Antonio Ruiz
Key matches: LSU (3/4), Florida
(3/11), Baylor (4/12)
Outlook for the season: With
Isner leading the charge, the
Bulldogs should finish what they
started last year and take home the
National Championship.
They said it: “This is going to be a
special, special season.” - Diaz
in the Longhorns’ line-up.
“We got very lucky with
Travis,” assistant coach Will
Glenn said. “We were No. 1
(ranked) in the country when
he thought about transfer
ring.”
With Helgeson, Isner and
junior Luis Flores, the
Bulldogs have three All-
American players with experi
ence playing at the top sin
gles spot.
“We are one of the most
John Isner
6-foot-9, 201
pounds
Greensboro,
N.C.
Note about
last year: The
All-American
was the No.
1-ranked sin
gles player for most of the year.
Spring 2005 Statistics: In team
play, went 28-0 in singles and 19-6
in doubles (with Antonio Ruiz).
Outlook for the season: Isner
should be one of the top players in
the country again and will be look
ing to finish his college career with
a team and individual champi
onship.
Interesting fact: At 6-foot-9, Isner
is taller than 10 of Georgia’s men’s
basketball players.
talented teams out there. We
are going to be the team that
everyone is gunning for,”
Isner said.
If all goes as planned,
Georgia will play for the
NCAA Championship in front
of the home crowd, since
Athens is the site for the
tournament finals.
“It is going to be amazing,”
Glenn said. “We are going to
have 5,000-plus Georgia fans
screaming for us.”
‘Off-year’ motivates women’s tennis team
WOMEN’S TENNIS
By LAWRENCE CONNEFF
lconneff@randb.com
For most collegiate sports
programs, a top-25 national
ranking and an NCAA
Tournament bid would make
for a great season.
But for the Georgia
women’s tennis team, it’s a
bit of an off-year.
2005-2006 was the first sea
son in the last decade in
which the Bulldogs did not
finish in the national top 10 or
advance to at least the quar
terfinals round at the NCAA
tournament.
“We struggled a little bit in
the early months, but I felt
like at the end we were play
ing our best tennis,” head
coach Jeff Wallace said. “But
we didn’t stay in the top 10 in
the country, which we’ve
done for several years.”
The team already has par
ticipated in a number of tour
naments in the fall, which
Wallace said primarily serve
to get everyone ready for the
upcoming winter dual
matches that begin in
January.
Freshmen Adrienne
Elsberry and Naoko Ueshima
have won fall tournaments,
while No. 21-ranked senior
Natalie Frazier was invited to
play in the ITA National
Indoor Championships,
where she eventually fell to
the nation’s top-ranked play
er.
“The goal of the fall is to
get everybody to play a lot of
matches and to understand
what college tennis is all
about, what Georgia tennis is
all about,” Wallace said.
And there are a number of
players who are learning all
about college and Georgia
tennis right now.
This spring, the team fea
tures five new players: four
freshmen and a transfer.
“All of these freshmen are
unbelievably talented,” senior
Darya Ivanov said.
“Sometimes they make me
wish I was a freshman again.”
Though he will be relying
on a number of young players
this season, Wallace sees no
reason why this team cannot
live up to the program’s lofty
standards.
“We’ve had some young
teams who have finished in
the top 10 and played for
championships, so it can be
done,” he said.
The fall season offers a
Head Coach: Jeff Wallace (22nd
season)
Last year’s record: 13-10 (8-3
SEC)
Last year’s finish: Reached sec
ond round of NCAA Tournament
Returning players: Three
Key players: Natalie Frazier (Sr.)
Key losses: Caroline Basu,
Evgenia Subbotina
Key matches: LSU (3/04), Florida
(3/11), Baylor (4/12)
Outlook for the season: Though
young, with Wallace at the helm,
the women's tennis team should
have another solid season and
make it back to the NCAA
Tournament.
They said it: “We’ve got a lot of
young players. Half of our players
have never played in a college dual
match before. We’ve got some
experience mixed in with the youth,
so that makes it exciting.” -
Wallace
chance for new players to get
adjusted, but the team must
get down to business come
January.
“It’s about April and May.
That’s our March Madness,”
Natalie Frazier
5-foot-6
Riverdale
Note about
last year: Was
Georgia’s only
representative
in the NCAA
singles champi
onship tournament.
Spring 2005 statistics: In dual
match season, went 16-6 in singles
and 17-8 in doubles.
Outlook for the season: Frazier
will get most of the playing time at
the top spot in the singles line-up.
She also is a sure bet to make the
All-SEC team.
Interesting fact: Won sportsman
ship award at National Team
Indoors and was named to the SEC
Good Works Team last season.
Wallace said.
“But to set yourself up for
a run in April and May, you’ve
got to play well early in the
season to get a good draw in
the NCAA Tournament.”
Swim and dive teams want to keep up hot starts
By ADAM LIPPER
alipper@randb.com
After almost a month of
competition, both Georgia
women’s and men’s swim
ming and diving teams are
working to live up to national
top-10 rankings.
Even though the Georgia
women (5-1, 2-1 SEC) are
ranked No. 5 in the nation,
they would like to be even
higher.
The women are led by last
year’s National Swimmer of
the Year, senior captain Kara
Lynn Joyce.
The Bulldogs had their
dual-meet win streak of 40
broken by No. 2 Florida earli
er this season, and the effects
of losing several key members
from last year’s national run
ner-up team seem to be
showing.
Head coach Jack Bauerle
has attributed the Bulldogs’
early struggles to the lack of
depth.
“We have to scrape for
everything we can,” said
Bauerle after the women’s
victory over Michigan last
weekend. “We’re (only) a top-
10 team right now, and
that’s not where we want to
be.”
At 6-0 already, the No. 9
Georgia men’s swim team has
a chance to go undefeated
this season.
The team has come out on
top in two close meets.
The Bulldogs knocked off
Florida, which is tied with
Texas for the nation’s No. 3
ranking, in Gainesville by one
point and defeated No. 11
Michigan Saturday by win
ning the last event in the
meet.
However, Georgia still has
to face three more ranked
teams.
On Jan. 13 the Bulldogs
will compete in Athens
against Texas, their toughest
remaining opponent.
The Longhorns have won
three national championships
this decade.
Even with all of Georgia’s
success, the Bulldog dive
team faces the season with
out its top weapon.
Senior All-American Chris
Colwill, who won on the 1-
and 3-meter boards at the
2006 NCAA Championship,
has not competed this sea
son.
Head diving coach Dan
Laak said the senior likely will
be redshirted this year.
Colwill has been held out
in order to train for the World
Championship team.
Although Laak said there
is always a chance Colwill
could dive, it’s unlikely.
If Colwill touches the
water in any meet this sea
son, he will use up his last
year of eligibility.
With the future in mind,
Laak is looking forward to
having Colwill back for the
Bulldogs’ 2008 campaign.
“Next year will be a great
year,” said Dan Laak. “Having
Chris back will add a lot.”
SWIMMING & DIVING
WOMEN’S
Swimming coach: Jack Bauerle
(29th season)
Diving coach: Dan Laak (19th sea
son)
Last year’s finish: 2nd in NCAA
championship; won SEC champi
onship
Returning swimmers: 17
Key losses: Mary DeScenza, Sarah
Poewe, Tricia Harm, Laura Conway
Key stat from last year: The team
lost to Auburn in the NCAA champi
onships by three points (518.5-
515.5), the second-closest finish in
finals history
Key swimmers this year: Kara
Lynn Joyce (Sr.), Aleksandra Putra
(So/), Mhyria Miller (So), Jessica
Cole (So.), Anna Miller (Jr.)
Outlook for this season: It is
arguable that after the loss of sever
al key seniors from last year’s
squad, this is a “rebuilding” year.
However, enough swimmers are
returning to keep the team in the
hunt for a return to the champi
onship meet.
MEN’S
Swimming coach: Jack Bauerle
(29th season)
Diving coach: Dan Laak (19th sea
son)
Last year’s finish: 3rd at SEC
championships; 9th at NCAA cham
pionships
Returning swimmers: 21
Key losses: Jonathan Schmidt,
Peter Verhoef, Chris Colwill (likely
redshirting)
Key stat from last year: Sebastien
Rouault’s win in the 1650-freestyle
and Chris Colwill’s wins at the 1-and
3-meter springboard gave Georgia
three individual winners. Entering
last year, the program had four in its
history.
Key swimmers/divers: Sebastien
Rouault (Jr.), Nathan Bibliowicz (Jr.),
Joe Smutz (Sr.), Webb Worthington
(So.)
Outlook for this season: Getting
by Florida and Michigan were two
tough hurdles for the team early in
the season. If they get by Texas in
January, the Bulldogs can begin
thinking of an undefeated campaign
and possible SEC and NCAA titles.
KEY SWIMMERS
FILE PHOTOS | The Red & Black
Sebastien Rouault
Kara Lynn Joyce
Distance Freestyle
Junior
Chambourcy, France
Likely role: One of the top distance
swimmers
Key stat from last year: Was NCAA
champion and set school record in the
1650m freestyle event.
Note about last year: Tied for the
high-point award at the SEC champi
onships, winning three events.
Interesting fact: Was a member of
the French 2005 World
Championships and has also repre
sented France at the European
Championships.
Freestyle
Senior
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Likely role: One of the top individual
swimmers and relay-team anchors
Key stat from last year: Broke
American record in 50m freestyle with
time of 21.63.
Note about last year: Was named
National Swimmer of the Year for
2005-2006 season after earning high-
point honors at NCAA championships.
Interesting fact: Is the recipient of the
Leon and Vickie Farmer Endowed
Scholarship.
New NBA draft rules
may hinder Cinderella
W hen the college bas
ketball season tips
off tonight, the six-
month journey to the Final
Four in Atlanta begins.
Last season couldn’t
have been better for the
SEC. Florida won the
National Championship,
LSU ended the season
ranked No. 3, South
Carolina achieved their sec
ond straight NIT champi
onship — heck, even
Georgia managed to finish
.500.
Yet what these teams did
for the SEC could pale in
comparison to what George
Mason did for college bas
ketball.
Besides breaking Billy
Packer’s nose with a hob
nailed Air Force One,
George Mason proved that
Cinderella belongs in April.
Their run also has us
wondering if there can be
another Mason-like run this
season.
In a scene reminiscent of
Milan’s 1954 Indiana state
championship run, Mason
knocked off three of the last
five National Champions to
become the first mid-major
to reach the Final Four
since 1979, when the
University of Pennsylvania
and Indiana State accom
plished the feat.
However, the Patriots’
path was even more
improbable.
The Indiana State
Sycamores were a No. 1
seed led by Larry Bird,
whom you may have heard
of.
The Penn Quakers
weren’t as dominant, but
they were ranked two seeds
higher than Mason’s No. 11
seed.
The most impressive dif
ference was that George
Mason had to compete with
64 teams in the tourna
ment. In 1979, the field had
only 40 teams.
“I think our run to the
Final Four, because of its
place in NCAA history, has
created a lot of interest,”
Mason coach Jim
Larranaga said in a tele
phone interview.
Larranaga said that peo
ple now wonder “if the pari
ty was a fact or if George
Mason’s run was a fluke. I
think there is a lot of parity
between mid-majors and
top-level teams. I think it
will show that (mid-majors)
are good on the national
level.”
However, the laws of the
NBA also will present a
new, tougher challenge for
mid-majors.
NBA Commissioner
David Stern apparently felt
that Mason’s route wasn’t
strenuous enough.
This summer, Stern
helped pass a rule requiring
players to be 19 and at least
one year out of high school
before becoming eligible for
the NBA draft.
Although Stern’s main
goals were to improve the
NBA’s image and for high
school players to develop in
college, the rule indirectly
affects mid-majors.
The recent success of
mid-majors in the tourna
ment largely results from
Adam Lipper
alipper@randb.com
“This can’t sit well
for teams like George
Mason, who have
used experience and
team chemistry to
defeat younger, more
talented teams. ”
the decreased talent level in
college basketball.
In 1995, Kevin Garnett
disproved the common
notion that high school
players weren’t physically
or emotionally ready for the
NBA.
Since the nine-time NBA
All-Star was selected fifth
by Minnesota, 38 players
have been drafted out of
high school.
Under the new restric
tions, recent high-school-
to-pro players such as Kobe
Bryant, LeBron James and
Dwight Howard wouldn’t
have the ability to skip col
lege.
The effects already seem
evident. The nation’s top
recruit, Greg Oden, a 7-
footer out of Indianapolis,
committed to Ohio State.
Before the NBA’s age
restriction, Oden was con
sidered a top candidate for
the No. 1 pick.
The addition of Oden,
along with the rest of the
“Thad Five” (the name of
Coach Thad Matta’s 2006
recruiting class), instantly
makes the preseason No. 4
Ohio State a national title
contender.
This can’t sit well for
teams like George Mason,
who have used experience
and team chemistry to
defeat younger, more tal
ented teams.
Larranaga, however, dis
agrees, arguing that the
rule will lead to higher
turnover at the top univer
sities which will make it
more difficult to maintain
team unity.
He expects there will be
another George Mason in
the near future,
“I think it makes it — I
wouldn’t say easier — it
makes it more likely that it
will happen again,”
Larranaga said. “When you
lose a top-quality player, it’s
not easy to quickly reload
again.”
Only time will tell
whether the 19-year-old
rule will hurt mid-majors.
Hopefully, it won’t take
26 more years for another
George Mason.
— Adam Lipper is a
sports writer for
The Red & Black