WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Off to a sparkling 14-5 start this spring, the Whitman College men's tennis team has jumped to No. 14 in the national rankings for NCAA Division III. It is Whitman's highest ranking in nearly two decades.
The latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings, released last week, give the top spot to Minnesota’s Gustavus Adolphus College. Rounding out the top five are No. 2 Emory University (Atlanta, Ga.) and three California schools: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, UC-Santa Cruz and Redlands.
In the West Region rankings, Whitman is No. 5, trailing only the three California schools and Trinity University of San Antonio, Texas. Trinity is No. 12 in the national poll.
At No. 17, Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) is the only other Northwest Conference (NWC) school in the men's national rankings.
Whitman, which wasn't listed in the national rankings in November, got off to a strong start this spring, beating two NCAA Div. I schools, Gonzaga and Idaho, before rallying past PLU in an early March showdown. The Lutes, who edged Whitman for the 2005 NWC title, began the spring season with a No. 10 national ranking.
Whitman's stock continued to rise during a Spring Break trip to California. The Missionaries knocked off two nationally-ranked teams in California Lutheran and Chapman.
With a 10-0 record against NWC opponents, Whitman resumes conference play this Saturday with matches at Linfield College and Pacific University. The Missionaries then host PLU in a rematch on Saturday, April 8.
The NWC Championships are set for Saturday and Sunday, April 21-22, in Yakima, Wash.
The ITA also released its latest West Region individual rankings last week. Whitman's Steven Ly is No. 7 in singles while teammate Phalkun Mam is No. 15. The two juniors are ranked No. 13 in doubles in the West Region. Robbie Munday and Dane Miller, two more Whitman juniors, are No. 14 in doubles.
At this time two years ago, Whitman climbed to No. 15 in the national rankings en route to winning its first NWC championship since the 2000 season. In the 2004 final rankings, Whitman filled the No. 19 spot.
Prior to the 2004 season, Whitman's highest rankings came during the late 1980s when current coach Jeff Northam helped the Missionaries achieve national prominence. Whitman got off to a 19-1 start during the 1986 season and was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation. The 1987 Missionaries became the first Northwest school in nearly 20 years to beat the University of Washington in a dual match.
Dave Holden, Whitman Sports Information
(509) 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu