Onward to NCAA's

Well......another season(#25) has come and gone. As usual, oh so quickly. Pleased to report that BOTH the Men's and Women's teams, not only won the Iowa Conference regular season title, but both won the AQ tournament and advance to next week's opening rounds of the NCAA team tournament.

I am extremely proud of Coach Kris and what the Women's team was able to accomplish this year. Initially billed as a possible rebuilding year as 8 of 11 roster players were in their 1st or 2nd year of college play, Coach Kris, Tai, Hoff and Jordan were able to provide leadership, encouragement and direction. After dramatically winning 5-4 against Luther in Decorah in September, the AQ match was much less dramatic with a 5-2 win on April 26th at the friendly confines of the Clark Racquet Center.

The Men's season was expected to be good. And it was. Despite the player's claims as the cause of my increasingly white hair, this Spring was the least stressful tennis season of my 29 years of collegiate coaching. Why? Because of the daily professionalism displayed by our roster of 18 men. For a group of 18-22 year old college students, their focus, drive and performance from our January start to our May finish  was impressive. It was a pleasure to be along for the journey!

And now we await word from the NCAA on the destinations and opponents for both squads. Play will begin either Thursday, May 8th or Friday May 9th. My best guess is the Women will travel to Chicago, St Louis or Indiana. The Men? Guessing Wisconsin, or St Louis. Details to be released by the NCAA on their Championships website tomorrow evening. 

www.ncaa.com