May 2, 2007

LAS VEGAS - UNLV sophomore standout Elliot Wronski is the No. 2 alternate for the 64-player main draw at the Division I Men's Tennis Singles Championship, the NCAA announced on Wednesday.

The singles and doubles competition will be conducted May 23-28 at Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga., hosted by the University of Georgia, following the conclusion of the team championship.

The draw will be released the week of the tournament. Wronski and the Rebel men will play their first-round match in the team portion of the tournament on May 11 at No. 9 UCLA.

Wronski (19-11) moved up to No. 60 in this week's national rankings after posting two more victories over ranked opponents in leading at the Mountain West Conference Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo. The native of Cheltenham, England, has seven wins over ranked opponents in 2007.

It is common for multiple players to withdraw from the tournament each year, which necessitates the field including eight alternates for singles play. Only Notre Dame's Sheeva Parbu is ranked ahead of Wronski.

"Elliot proved this season that he is deserving of being in the NCAA tournament," head coach Owen Hambrook said. "We think being the second alternate gives him a great shot of ultimately making it into the draw and if so, he will be a fine representative of his school and conference."

All-time, seven Rebels have competed at the final event of the college season with some spectacular results. Luke Smith went to two tournaments and, as a senior in 1997, rolled through the field to win the school's first tennis national championship. He then teamed with Tim Blenkiron a few hours later to win the doubles title as well.

Two-time All-American Roger Pettersson holds the school record of qualifying for the most such tournaments with three (1994-96). Overall, UNLV men boast a 12-10 record all-time in singles play. Below is the complete list of Rebels and their records at the NCAA Singles Championship.

UNLV IN THE NCAA MEN'S TENNIS SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP
PLAYER            YEAR(S)         RECORDHenner Nehles     2004, '05       Withdrew, 1-1Thomas Schneiter  2002            2-1Nenad Zivkovic    2001            WithdrewAsaf Tishler      1998, '99       0-2Luke Smith        1996, '97       6-1Roger Pettersson  1994, '95, '96  0-3Scott Warner      1986, '87       3-2TOTAL             13              12-10