Nick Rinks Earns Bid To NCAA Championships
5/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Rinks NCAA Notes
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May 20, 2007
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Junior Nick Rinks will compete in the 123rd Annual Division I Men's Tennis Championships on May 23-28 as a singles player, as announced by the NCAA on Saturday. Rinks previously was one of seven alternates named by the Men's Tennis Subcommittee on May 4, but now will contend for the singles title at the 64-player Championships held at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga.
"It is an honor to be one of the top 64 tennis players in the country," head coach Gene Orlando said. "This is it and Nick is going to be playing with the best. It was goal of ours at the end of last year to get into the tournament, and I'm proud that he did it. He worked all year for this opportunity. The next goal is for Nick to become an All-American, but we'll take it one match at a time."
The two-time All-Big Ten selection holds a record of 25-9 and is ranked 62nd in the country, according to the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings. Rinks finished the fall season with a 9-2 singles record and advanced to the quarterfinals at the ITA Midwest Regional. In the spring, he led the Spartans with a 16-7 record at the No. 1 singles spot and a 7-2 Big Ten record. The junior posted wins against five ranked players in the spring, with his highest win coming against then-52nd-ranked Matko Maravic of Michigan, for which he earned Big Ten Player of the Week accolades.
Rinks is the fourth singles player in MSU history to qualify for the NCAAs. The last Spartan to reach the tournament was Alberto Brause in 1996.
The singles bracket will be announced on Tuesday, May 22.
Players Mentioned
