Miami Moves to No. 8, D'Agord to No. 3 in Fila/ITA Rankings
April 25, 2006
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami men’s tennis team climbed one spot to No. 8 in the latest Fila/ITA National Collegiate rankings released Tuesday. Also moving up in the rankings was junior Luigi D’Agord who moved up one spot to No. 3 since last week.
Second year head coach Mario Rincon, who was recently named the 2006 ACC Coach of the Year, has led the Hurricanes to the No. 8 spot behind an overall record of 18-4 following a semifinal appearance at last weekend’s ACC Championship Tournament in Cary, N.C.
Rincon and the Hurricanes wrapped up the regular season with a 9-2 record in ACC play to earn a share of the regular season title in a conference that boasts three teams currently ranked in the top 10 and five in the top 25.
This marks the first time since the 1991-92 season UM has been ranked eighth nationally.
Riding an 18-match win streak with an overall record of 33-4, D’Agord, the 2006 ACC Player of the Year, moved up one spot from No. 4 since the last rankings becoming the highest ranked player at UM since former All-American Connie Falk sat at No. 1 during the 1990-91 season.
Having already accomplished one of the most impressive seasons in Hurricane history, his 33 wins tie him for fourth-highest single season total in the UM record books and he currently has the highest single season win percentage (.892) among the 20 players in school history who have won 24 or more matches.
He has posted a 20-3 record against ranked opponents and throughout the regular season was the only player in the ACC to go undefeated (11-0) in league play.
Also moving up in the latest rankings was 2006 Freshman of the Year Daniel Vallverdu, who moved from No. 102 to No. 90 and junior Josh Cohen, who climbed three spots to No. 95.
Vallverdu is 17-6 overall and 14-6 in dual matches, including an impressive 12-3 mark at the No. 2 position. Cohen, having won five-straight, is 25-6 overall and 13-4 in dual matches.
D’Agord and Vallverdu also form the nation’s No. 16 doubles tandem with an overall record of 15-4.
The Hurricanes will now await the 2006 NCAA tennis selection announcements that are slated to be released Wednesday, May 3rd. The announcement will air on ESPNEWS at approximately 8:30 p.m. In addition, the ESPNEWS audio signal will be available on the ESPNEWS channel on XM Radio and SIRIUS radio. The first and second rounds for the 2006 NCAA Championships take place May 12-14 at campus sites across the country.
The complete NCAA Tournament team brackets will be posted on the www.NCAAsports.com shortly after the completion of the televised announcements. The bracket will also be available on www.hurricanesports.com.
