By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A day after the Tennessee Tech tennis team discovered its NCAA Tournament first round matchup with the University of California, more good news revolving around postseason play struck the Golden Eagles. Two-time Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, junior Eduardo Mena, has been selected as one of 64 players to participate in the NCAA Division I singles championships.
Mena's nod to compete in the singles championships marks just the second time a Tech player has received an individual bid, and first since Borja Zarco (2007-08).
The tournament is scheduled for May 24-29 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga, the same site as the team national quarterfinals, semifinals and championship, which run from May 18-23. The University of Georgia will serve as host.
A club reserved for the nation's best, Mena proved his worth as one of 15 automatic qualifiers, representing the OVC in the exclusive field. The conference was awarded with an automatic qualification by virtue of having one or more eligible singles players ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Top 125. All singles players must have a minimum of 13 completed singles matches, with six matches in the spring, in order to be selected as an automatic qualifier or an at-large selection.
Mena's selection adds on to an already robust resume that puts him as one of the greatest in program history. The nation's 62nd ranked player recently captured his second-straight OVC Player of the Year accolade, thanks to a 17-2 spring singles mark, all out of the vaunted No. 1 spot in the lineup.
Mena will enter Tech's appearance in the NCAA Tournament, May 12 in Berkeley, Calif., on a 13-match win streak. Ranked as high as No. 55 in the country this season, the 6-foot junior rolled through another OVC slate with a second-straight undefeated conference campaign, moving his career OVC singles record to 22-1 in three season in purple and gold.
In non-conference action, the resume proved to be just as robust, taking down four nationally ranked opponents throughout the year with wins over Texas Techs Jolan Caileau (No. 29), UT's Timo Stodder (No. 32), North Florida's Jack Findel-Hawkins (No. 68) and Louisville's Christoper Morin-Kougoucheff (No. 124).
Stay posted to ttusports.com as well as the Tech Athletics Facebook and Twitter for continuous updates on all things Golden Eagle tennis, including a release on the singles championship bracket, once it's made available.
Photo by Tony Marable
