Team progress brings winning season With this year's switch to the NCAA Division II GulfSouth Conference, the men's tennis team has noticed that most of their meets have been with closely matched opponents. Senior Seth Bullington said most of the teams they have played this season are "on the same level" as the Bison team. "Last year we had some really difficult and really easy matches," Bullington said. "This year the competition has been a lot more even." In past seasons the wide variety of competition did not seem to affect the Bison, who finished with a winning record of 14II. Scott Goode, sports information director for the university, said that last year's record marked the Bison's 26th consecutive winning season..He noted the men's team has had a winning season every year since David Elliot became head coach. Bullington said that a winning season is common for the men's team, but this season is different because he has noticed an improvement in the team overall. "We've always come out ahead," Bullington said. "I think that we're doing better - we're starting to progress and we're getting a lot stronger and deeper." He added that team members are very supportive of each other, something that is important in a sport where players compete either as individuals in singles matches, or with one other team member in doubles matches. According to Goode, the men's team competes in 25 to 30 matches each year with the fall matches occurring between September and early November and the spring matches taking place between mid-February and early May. He said that even though the team takes breaks from competition, they practice year round making for an "ongoing" season. Bullington described a typical practice as "intense" and said a typical day includes running warm-ups, sprints, two hours of scrimmaging and occasional lifting . - Casey Neese Sophomore Jacobo Martinez waits to return a serve from the opposing player. Holding the number one spot in singles, Martinez earned Academic Ali-Conference honors. Photo by Mark Kinonen. First Row: Jacobo Martinez, Seth BUllington, Klaus Shmidt, Assistant Darren Wade, Jonathan Leijen, Assistant Guillermo Hernandez. Second Row: John Hawkins, Igor Tamindzija, Artur Sikora, Justin John. Photo by Jeff Montgomery . the team 1......------ ~1~1e7n~'~s ~D~e~n=n=i~s ----------~~ Athletics ~
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