April 29, 2003
UK Awaits Word from NCAA
The University of Kentucky men’s tennis program expects to receive its 20th-consecutive bid to the NCAA Men’s Tennis Tournament when the selections are announced Wednesday. The NCAA will reveal its tournament selections at 4:45 EDT on ESPNEWS. Each of UK’s previous 19 NCAA Tournament bids have occurred under Coach Dennis Emery, now in his 21st season at the helm of the UK men’s tennis program.
The first and second rounds of the 2003 NCAA Men’s Tennis Tournament will take place May 10 and 11 at sites to be announced Wednesday. In 2002, Kentucky earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and tallied first-and second-round victories over Murray State and Vanderbilt in Lexington. The Cats journeyed to College Station, Texas for the round of 16 where they defeated a strong Duke team before falling to Tennessee in the NCAA quarterfinals.
Witten Featured in Gulfshore Life
Sophomore Jesse Witten is one of seven athletes featured in the May issue of Gulfshore Life, a monthly lifestyle magazine based in Witten’s hometown of Naples, Fla. The series of articles focuses on athletes from Florida’s Gulf Coast region who have made names for themselves in the world of sports.
Witten is featured alongside such notable athletes as former Florida running back Earnest Graham and Minnesota Twins first baseman A.J. Pierzynski. In 2002, Witten became only the third freshman to ever compete for the NCAA men’s singles title. The sophomore is expected to get another shot at the singles crown when the NCAA Singles Championship participants are announced this Friday, May 2.
Wildcat Trio Featured in ITA Rankings
Jesse Witten moved up one spot from No. 10 to No. 9 in the latest Omni Hotels/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings. Witten, who recently earned first-team All-SEC honors for the second consecutive season, has been ranked in the top 20 throughout the season. Witten teamed with junior Rahim Esmail to tally a 15-4 record at No. 2 doubles, earning the pair a No. 55 ranking.Junior Karim Benmansour, who spent the bulk of the dual-match season at the No. 3 slot, compiled a 14-9 dual-match record and is currently ranked 105th by the ITA.
