SUWANEE, Ga. - Playing in the national title
match of the 2000 NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championships on
the campus of Kalamazoo, Mich., fourth-ranked Trinity University
defeated Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) College, 4-3, to earn the
program its first-ever NCAA Division III men's team title.
That national title moment is being recognized
as the Top Moment in the history of SCAC men's tennis. Top 20
Moments homepage
With both the Trinity men's and women's tennis teams playing at
separate sites in the national quarterfinal round, head coach Butch
Newman decided to leave the men’s team in the capable hands
of former assistant Keith McKay. McKay, a former Tiger
All-American, had traveled with the team all season –
including in Virginia for the regional finals. Coach Newman and
assistant Ryan Takao – who is now the head coach for the
Tiger women – stayed with the women’s team.
Once in Kalamazoo, Mich., and after a 4-0 shutout victory over SCAC
rival DePauw University in the national quarterfinals, four-time
Division III champion UC-Santa Cruz stood in the way of the Trinity
men's first-ever trip to the finals. Despite falling behind by
two points early in the national semifinals, the
Tigers rallied to tie the match at 3-3 with only one match
left. Senior Jeevan Ramakrishnan earned the deciding point, and
Trinity prevailed 4-3, to set up a meeting with another former
champion in Gustavus Adolphus.
After rallying to tie the match at three points apiece,
Trinity’s Ed Rahn remained on the court, needing a win at No.
4 singles to give the Tigers the title. After dropping the first
set, the junior rallied to win his individual match 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
and the celebration was on.
Trinity became the first school in Division III history to win
both the men’s and women’s tennis championships in
the same year as the Trinity women knocked off the University of
California-San Diego just minutes after the men's victory in
Michigan.
Russell Kramer, the SCAC Director of Communications/New Media, had
a chance to catch up with former Trinity head coach Butch
Newman as well as former Tiger All-American Jeff
Mueller to reflect on the Tigers' magical 2000 run to the
national title. Click here to list to the interview with Butch
Newman; to listen to the interview with Jeff Mueller, click here.
To view the complete list of SCAC Men's Tennis Top Moments, click
here.
Throughout the 2010-2011 academic year, the Southern Collegiate
Athletic Conference will celebrate its 20th anniversary. A special
logo commemorating the occasion will be used and the league
office will also be releasing the Top 20 moments for each sport the
conference sponsors (excluding men's and women's lacrosse).
Trinity's 2000 National Title Run Selected Top SCAC Men's Tennis Moment
Posted: Apr 27, 2011