Spartans Kick off Season at Home with Frank Beeman Invitational

Sept. 15, 2011

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State men's tennis team opens its 2011 campaign with the third annual Frank Beeman Invitational Friday-Sunday, Sept. 16-18. Pending weather, all matches will be held at the MSU Outdoor Tennis Courts, with matches set to begin at 3:00 p.m. with Flight A doubles on Friday. Action will continue at 9 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. The invitational will include participants from Dayton, Detroit, Duquesne, IPFW, IUPUI, Wayne State and Youngstown State. The invitational will be contested in a compass draw, non-elimination format.

Gene Orlando enters his 21st year as the head coach for the Spartan men's tennis program. After a successful 2010-11 season that included a postseason victory as well as 11 consecutive weeks being ranked in the ITA polls, the Spartans are looking to continue their success in the fall tournaments.

The Spartans will rely heavily on their returnees from last year, as well as a wealth of young talent. Seniors Ronnie Hulewicz and Austin Brooks, as well as junior Denis Bogatov will provide key leadership for the Spartans after notable individual performances last year. Hulewicz posted a 20-15 overall record in singles play, with nine of those victories coming in the No. 1 and 2 positions. Brooks was a model of consistency in doubles play, posting 17 wins with three different partners. Bogatov notched 22 overall wins in singles play, with an impressive 10-2 record in tournaments.

After successful freshmen seasons, the Spartans are expecting big results from sophomores Aaron Pfister and Drew Lied. Pfister won a team-high 30 singles matches last season, and posted an impressive 8-2 mark in conference play. Lied was equally notable, notching 20 wins in singles play and an additional 15 in doubles action throughout the lineup.

MSU will welcome three new faces to the program, as freshmen Gijs Linders, Doug Zade and Harry Jadun will make their Spartan debuts this weekend.

Senior Mat Nelson, juniors Will Davis and Christian Roehmer and sophomore Ryan Richmond will also add depth to the Spartan lineup.

Frank Beeman served as head coach of the MSU men's tennis program for nine seasons, from 1948-1951 and 1953-1957. During his time as head coach, Beeman led MSU to its first Big Ten title in 1951. A great friend, and mentor to the MSU men's tennis program and University, Beeman's presence was strong and continued to grow until his passing this past spring. In his honor, the Frank Beeman Endowment was established in 2004 and quickly grew to be the largest endowed fund out of all men's sports at MSU. The Spartans will honor Coach Beeman prior to the start of competition on Friday with a moment of silence.

For daily results from this weekend's action, please visit www.msuspartans.com.