Weekly Release #12
4/25/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 27-30 -- at Big Ten Championship (Bloomington, Ind.)
Friday, April 28 -- vs. Purdue, 9 a.m. CDT
Saturday, April 29 -- Semifinals, 9 a.m./1:30 p.m. CDT
Sunday, April 30 -- Championship Match, Noon CDT
May 20-28 -- at NCAA Championship (Regional Sites TBA)
Wolverines Head to Big Ten Championship
The University of Michigan tennis team enters the annual Big Ten Conference Championship at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., as the No. 5 seed. The team tournament begins on Thursday, April 27, and runs through Sunday, April 30. The Wolverines (14-5 record) finished the regular season tied for fourth in the Big Ten with a 6-4 conference mark, including four consecutive Big Ten wins to close the year (five overall victories including Notre Dame match).
Michigan Faces Purdue in Quarterfinals
Michigan will square off against Purdue in Friday's quarterfinals of the 2000 Big Ten Men's Tennis Championship. With a victory, Michigan could face No. 1 seed and three-time defending champion Illinois in the semifinals on Saturday (April 29). The championship match is slated for Sunday afternoon (April 30, noon CDT).
Wolverines vs. Purdue
This will be the 65th meeting between the two schools, with the Wolverines holding a 56-8 series advantage. Michigan lost a 4-3 match earlier this season against the Boilermakers at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Wolverines ended a five-match losing streak to Purdue last year, winning a 4-3 match in West Lafayette, Ind., during the regular season. Prior to the losing streak, the Boilermakers had not beaten the Wolverines in 53 matches (since the 1938-39 season).
U-M Leads in Big Ten Titles
The Wolverine men's tennis squad enters the 2000 Big Ten Conference in pursuit of the program's 37th conference title. The Wolverines have three times as many Big Ten crowns (36) as any current school in the conference and trail only the Wolverine football program for the most titles by any one team in conference history (football has won or shared 39 conference titles).
Big Ten Conference Team Titles
| SCHOOL | TITLES |
| Michigan | 36 |
| Chicago* | 13 |
| Illinois | 10 |
| Minnesota | 10 |
| Northwestern | 9 |
| Indiana | 5 |
| Ohio State | 3 |
| Michigan State | 2 |
| Iowa | 1 |
| Butler* | 1 |
* indicates former members of the conference
Wolverines Ranked No. 22
After dropping out of the top 25 for the first time in four weeks (No. 26 in April 12 rankings), Michigan returned to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association national team rankings on April 19. The Wolverines head into the Big Ten Championship ranked No. 22, and have been listed in the top 25 six of the last seven weeks of the season. Michigan listed a season-best No. 18 on March 22, after not being listed among the top 25 in over three seasons. The only Big Ten Conference team ranked ahead of Michigan is No. 8 Illinois, with No. 24 Minnesota being the only other conference school listed among the top 25 (Indiana is ranked No. 28, Ohio State is No. 37 and Purdue is No. 38).
Michigan Week-by-Week in Rankings
| Date | Rank |
| March 15 | No. 21 |
| March 22 | No. 18 |
| March 29 | No. 20 |
| April 5 | No. 20 |
| April 12 | No. 26 |
| April 19 | No. 22 |
Wright Finishing Strong
Senior Matt Wright (Wichita, Kan./Wichita Collegiate HS) heads into the Big Ten Championship looking to continue his three-match winning streak. Wright has compiled a 22-11 overall singles record and is 10-7 at the top slot in the lineup. He has claimed victories in five of his last seven matches (only setbacks coming to No. 10-ranked Ryan Sachire of Notre Dame and No. 29-ranked Tyler Cleveland of Iowa). A two-time All-Big Ten Conference selection, Wright finished the regular season with a 5-4 conference dual match record and posted an impressive 14-7 record against regional opponents. Wright is listed as the No. 68 singles player in the ITA rankings (April 12), after peaking at a season-high No. 35 on Dec. 7.
With an 86-51 career record, Wright ranks tied for ninth in career singles victories at Michigan. He needs two victories to surpass Jon Morris (1985-88) for eighth place and three wins to move ahead of David Paradzik (1995-98) and into seventh place. Wright has compiled an impressive 26-18 career record at the No. 1 singles spot.
Long Two Away From 80 Wins
Senior co-captain John Long (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) looks to capture his third consecutive 20-win season when the Wolverines take the court at the 2000 Big Ten Championship. Long has compiled a 19-14 singles record this season and needs just four victories to equal his career-best win total attained last year (23-10 mark). He has compiled a 9-9 dual match record (0-1 at No. 1 and 9-8 at No. 2) and is 10-11 against regional opponents. Long has compiled a 78-40 career singles record and needs just two victories to reach 80 in his career and four wins to surpass Ed Nagel (1985-88) for 11th place on Michigan's all-time career singles list.
U-M Top All-Time Career Singles Win Leaders
| | Name | Wins | Years |
| 1. | Dan Goldberg | 118-34 | 1985-89 |
| 2. | Peter Pusztai | 115-56 | 1992-96 |
| 3. | Dan Brackus | 101-46 | 1990-94 |
| 4. | Michael Leach | 99-18 | 1978-82 |
| | David Kass | 99-35 | 1988-92 |
| 6. | William Farah | 98-53 | 1996-99 |
| 7. | David Paradzik | 88-66 | 1995-98 |
| 8. | Jon Morris | 87-35 | 1984-88 |
| 9. | Matt Wright | 86-51 | 1997- |
| | Arvid Swan | 86-59 | 1995-98 |
| 11. | Ed Nagel | 81-23 | 1985-88 |
| 12. | John Long | 78-40 | 1997- |
Beam Eyes 25th Win
Sophomore Henry Beam (Kalamazoo, Mich./Loy Norrix HS), the Big Ten Conference Player of the Week for April 17, needs two victories to claim his 25th win of the season. Beam has compiled a team-best 23 wins thus far (23-9 record), including a team-high .719 winning percentage. He leads the squad in dual match wins (15-4), dual match winning percentage (.789) and regional victories (16-6), while tying for second in Big Ten Conference wins (6-4). Beam has won 14 of his last 18 matches, including winning stretches of eight and six matches during that string. Beam heads into the weekend needing two victories to claim his 45th career win (43-24 record).
McCain Looks to Set Career High Victories Total
Sophomore Danny McCain (Largo, Fla./Canterbury School) needs one victory to set a new career high for singles victories in a season. He has a 17-11 record this season after posting a 17-16 singles mark as a freshman. McCain needs just three victories to gain his first career 20-win season and just one victory for his 35th career win (34-27 record). McCain finished the regular season with a team-best 7-3 Big Ten dual match record and is 13-5 against regional opponents this year. He has compiled a 12-7 dual match record this season and enters the Big Ten Championship with a season-high six-match winning streak (has won eight of his last 10 matches).
Cox Eyes 20 Wins
Sophomore Ben Cox (Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake HS) enters the Big Ten Championship looking to inch closer to his second straight 20-win season. Cox has registered a 17-12 overall singles record and is 12-7 in dual match action. He has won a season-best five consecutive matches heading into the Big Ten meet and finished the conference season with a 6-4 conference mark. Cox has tallied an 11-7 record against regional opponents. He needs two victories to collect his 45th career win (43-18 record), and boasts an impressive 31-9 dual match record and a 15-5 Big Ten Conference record.
Held Making Major Contribution
Freshman Zach Held (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central HS) heads into his first Big Ten Championship after making a major impact in the singles and doubles lineups during the second half of the dual match season. Held has a 9-8 overall singles record and is undefeated in dual match action (5-0; 4-0 at No. 6 and 1-0 at No. 5) and is 3-0 against Big Ten Conference opponents. He clinched Michigan's 4-3 victory at Ohio State last weekend with a come-from-behind victory over Bob Wellstein in three sets at No. 6. Held trailed 5-3 in the third set, broke Wellstein and rallied for four consecutive wins and a three-set victory (6-4, 3-6, 7-5). In doubles, Held teams with John Long at the No. 2 spot. Held and Long have compiled a 6-7 overall record and 5-5 record at No. 2. Held is 9-8 overall in doubles competition this year.
Contact: David Ablauf (734) 763-4423
