Michigan Finishes Season Ranked 16th Nationally
6/10/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
SKILLMAN, N.J. -- The University of Michigan men's tennis team concluded the 2008 dual-match season with a No. 16 national ranking, as recently announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). It marks the program's highest year-ending national ranking since 1988, when the Wolverines reached the NCAA Championship semifinals and finished the season as the third-ranked team in the country. U-M, which was ranked as high as No. 8 this season, completed its second straight 20-win campaign (20-7) and advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 20 years.
Senior Matko Maravic(Zagreb, Croatia/V. Gimnazija) earned a final national singles ranking of No. 63. The program's first four-time All-Big Ten selection since 1994, Maravic finished off a spectacular career with an overall singles record of 23-11, including a 15-9 dual-match mark at the top three positions. He was also the university's Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor male recipient, an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District at-large second-team pick and an Academic All-Big Ten selection during his last season.
Maravic and sophomore George Navas(Tampa, Fla./Tampa Preparatory School) finished 2008 listed as the 31st-ranked doubles tandem in the nation. The pair went 14-7 overall and 12-6 in dual-match action at Nos. 1 and 2, nearly securing a bid to the NCAA Doubles Championship. Sophomore Mike Sroczynski(Chatham, N.J./Laurel Springs School) and freshman Jason Jung(Torrance, Calif./West Torrance HS) finished at No. 43 after compiling a team-best 20-10 overall record and a 12-9 dual-match mark at the top two spots.
Michigan finished the year with a No. 3 ranking in the Midwest Region, marking the program's highest year-ending regional ranking since 1999 (No. 3). Maravic (No. 9), Jung (No. 18), junior Andrew Mazlin(Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS) (No. 20) and Sroczynski (No. 22) earned regional singles rankings, while Maravic and Navas (No. 5) and Jung and Sroczynski (No. 7) made appearances in the regional doubles poll.
The Wolverinesalso made an appearance in the final standings of the inaugural ITA Attendance Race.U-M ranked fifth nationally in average attendance (316) and eighth in total attendance (3,160).
Michiganwill return 10 letterwinners and add redshirt freshman Drew Daniel(Overland Park, Kan./Laurel Springs School) to the roster for the 2008-09 season.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
