2012 USTA/Midwest Section Year In Review - 2012 | Page 52

USTA Tennis On Campus The USTA/Midwest Campus League celebrated another successful year with 56 teams participating. The University of Wisconsin’s club team again held the Badger Classic, which is one of the largest invitationals in the nation hosted by a club tennis program. The USTA/Midwest Campus League had its largest fall semester ever with 53 active teams, more events, and over 125+ head-to-head matches (not including The Badger Classic) in the fall semester alone. All students participating are USTA members. The USTA/Midwest Section granted a total of $2,250 in club tennis start-up grants to the following schools: DePaul University, Saginaw Valley State and Ball State University. In addition, a Tournament Start-up Grant was approved for the following schools: University of Illinois, Ferris State, Saginaw Valley State, Loyola University, and Indiana University. Such tournaments provide new opportunities for competition between Midwest and non-Midwest schools as well as provide a fundraising opportunity for the host school. US Open Playoffs Midwest Sectional Qualifying Tournament The Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, OH (outside of Cincinnati) hosted the US Open National Playoffs Midwest Sectional Qualifying Tournament, June 30 – July 3, 2012. The USTA created the US Open National Playoffs to expand the footprint of the US Open to cities nationwide by providing the opportunity for all players 14 years of age and older to earn a berth into the US Open. The event included men’s and women’s singles and mixed doubles. Congratulations to the winners of the Midwest Sectional Qualifying Tournament who advance to the US Open National Playoffs! Chris Wettengel USTA Campus Championship-Midwest Thirty-two teams participated in the 2012 USTA Tennis On Campus Midwest Championship, representing 30 universities and colleges from across the five state area. Approximately 250 players competed from across the country, as well as students from other countries. Congratulations to the top five teams that advanced to the USTA Tennis On Campus National Championship: University of Wisconsin A - 1st • University of Wisconsin A - 1st • Michigan State University – 2nd • Marquette University - 3rd • University of Cincinnati - 4th • Purdue University Club - 5th Final Results Men’s Singles: Chris Wettengel (Eatonville, AR) defeated Raleigh Smith (Miami, FL) 6-1; 6-1 Women’s Singles: Alexandra Mueller (Abington, PA) defeated Veronica Corning (Beverly, MA) 6-2; 6-0 Mixed Doubles: Lilia Osterloh (Canal Winchester, OH) and Josh Osswald (Covington, KY) defeated Elyse Steiner (Allison Park, PA) and Filip Ram (Haddonfield, NJ) 6-2; 4-6; 10-6 US Open National Playoffs Now in its third year, the US Open National Playoffs begin as a series of sectional qualifying tournaments, held in 13 USTA Sections throughout the country. The 13 men’s, women’s and mixed doubles champions, or top available finishers from each sectional qualifying tournament, advanced to the US Open National Playoffs; Men’s and Women’s Singles Championship, held August 17-20, and the Mixed Doubles Championship, held August 22-25. All three tournaments took place in conjunction with the New Haven Open at Yale, presented by First Niagara, a US Open Series event. Other Championship Highlights: •  he University of Illinois won its sixth bid as the 2012 T Midwest Club Team of the year. • ndiana University won the sportsmanship award and I subsequent seventh bid. This club team demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship throughout the event. •  att Ship from the University of Wisconsin won the Club Leader of the Year award and M went on to win the National award. MTU Player Alexandra Mueller USTA/Midwest Section Program Support USTA Tennis On Campus is designed to provide college students with opportunities for team camaraderie, social networking and great competition through tennis without the rigors of a varsity program. Through the formation of tennis sport clubs on campus, co-ed team-based play is offered, as are regional and national championships. The USTA/Midwest Section provides the following resources to colleges implementing the Tennis on Campus program on their campuses: • Training and materials for instructors/intramural directors/club sports staff • Program grants • Help with special events such as clinics, tournaments and new student orientations • Guide to starting a college campus program • Formats for adult intramural play • Assistance with enhancing current campus tennis programming • Help with league and tournament formats for college campus • Assistance forming recognized University Tennis Sports Clubs and Community Tennis Associations Lilia Osterloh and Josh Osswal Michigan Tech Club Team 52 USTA MIDWEST › 2012 year in review 53