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Men's Tennis Finishes Historic Season Ranked at No. 13 in the Nation
June 24, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format
The 2010 season will go in the record books as the most successful in University of Louisville men's tennis program history. The Cardinals posted program-best 24-6 record and closed out the campaign at No. 13 in the ITA singles rankings. Among its team accomplishments, Louisville notched its second BIG EAST Conference title, reached the NCAA Championship Round of 16 after being selected as a host site for the first and second rounds, and reached the highest ranking in school history at No. 10 (twice). Junior Austen Childs' run in the NCAA Singles Championship ended with a 6-1, 6-2 loss to Stanford's Bradley Klahn in Monday's title match. Childs' runner-up finish is the best-ever for a Louisville player. Childs entered the tournament unseeded as the 19th-ranked player in nation. After snapping a nine-match win streak with a loss to Tennessee's top-ranked John-Patrick Smith in Louisville's round of 16 loss in the team championship, Childs opened the singles championship with five consecutive wins. En route to his runner-up finish, he upset four higher-ranked opponents and avenged four prior losses along the way - including a first-round victory over Smith. Childs closed his junior season with a 33-12 overall record and is the first tennis player in Louisville history to compete for the national title. Prior to the Childs' NCAA run, only Michael Mather had reached the round of 16 in the 1998 season. This was Childs' third consecutive season competing in the NCAA singles championship and the first time he advanced past the first round. The 2010 (and 2009) BIG EAST Player of the Year also became only the second All-American in program history when he reached the NCAA round of 16. "After taking a deep breath and reflecting on what we have accomplished as a team, I am pleased, but not satisfied with our year end ranking number of 13," said Ecarma. "It is our highest ever at the end of the season and with our starters returning, we will have a higher preseason. It all started when we were one of the 16 teams to qualify for the National Indooor championships. We were very consistent in our regular season, finishing undefeated at home and only losing to teams who spent time in the top 10.We shut out all of our opponents while winning the Big East Championships and hosted and won the NCAA regional. These band of brothers which I call them never wanted the season to end."
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