Spring Break
Tennis stars Helgeson, Schnugg named All-Americans
Issue date: 6/10/08 Section: Sports
The champion Georgia men's tennis team saw two of its members earn All-America status in singles, announced the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Senior Travis Helgeson earned his fourth All-America award while sophomore Nate Schnugg garnered the honor for the first time. With two All-Americans, Georgia has now had multiple selections for eight consecutive years.
"This is a tremendous way for Travis to end his career," said Georgia head coach Manuel Diaz. "He had a superb year and this is a great tribute to his hard work. He came up with the clinching win for our team at the national championship and to be honored as one of the elite players in the country is very fitting for him.
"It is also great to see Nate be recognized as an All-American for the first time as well, and we are counting on big things for him in the future. He should be considered one of the elite returning players in the country next year and should challenge for some national individual titles of his own. I think he is really ready to make his mark on collegiate tennis."
Both players qualified for All-America status by satisfying multiple criteria. Each was seeded in the Top 16 of the NCAA Singles Championship, with Helgeson earning a No. 4 seed and Schnugg a 9-16 seed. Additionally, Helgeson finished No. 4 in the final national singles rankings and Schnugg landed at No. 17, also guaranteeing both would earn the All-America honor.
Helgeson finished his senior season with a final record of 29-10, including a dual-match mark of 17-5. The ITA Southeast Region Player of the Year, Helgeson captured the ITA All-America Singles National Championship during the fall season. The Bulldog co-captain also earned First-Team All-SEC honors for the second straight year.
Helgeson is a rare four-time All-American, earning the accolade twice as a Bulldog and twice at Texas, prior to transferring to Georgia following his sophomore year.
Schnugg posted a dominant sophomore season, securing the best record on the team with a 43-9 mark overall. In dual matches he went 22-4, including a 10-1 record against the SEC. After playing most of his freshman year at the No. 5 position, Schnugg propelled himself to the top of the lineup for 2008, going 5-1 in the No. 1 singles position, 13-3 at No. 2 and 4-0 at No. 3. A First-Team All-SEC choice this year after earning Second-Team honors in 2007, Schnugg continued to step up his play during Georgia's NCAA championship run as he pushed his undefeated NCAA Tournament record to 9-0.
Georgia has now had 39 different players account for 75 All-America awards. The Bulldogs have now had at least one player reach All-America status for 27 consecutive years.
Helgeson and Schnugg will continue to represent collegiate tennis through the summer as both have been selected to the USTA Summer Collegiate Team, an elite training program for the top American collegiate players. Georgia was the only team in the nation to have two of its players chosen to the six-player men's squad.
Senior Travis Helgeson earned his fourth All-America award while sophomore Nate Schnugg garnered the honor for the first time. With two All-Americans, Georgia has now had multiple selections for eight consecutive years.
"This is a tremendous way for Travis to end his career," said Georgia head coach Manuel Diaz. "He had a superb year and this is a great tribute to his hard work. He came up with the clinching win for our team at the national championship and to be honored as one of the elite players in the country is very fitting for him.
"It is also great to see Nate be recognized as an All-American for the first time as well, and we are counting on big things for him in the future. He should be considered one of the elite returning players in the country next year and should challenge for some national individual titles of his own. I think he is really ready to make his mark on collegiate tennis."
Both players qualified for All-America status by satisfying multiple criteria. Each was seeded in the Top 16 of the NCAA Singles Championship, with Helgeson earning a No. 4 seed and Schnugg a 9-16 seed. Additionally, Helgeson finished No. 4 in the final national singles rankings and Schnugg landed at No. 17, also guaranteeing both would earn the All-America honor.
Helgeson finished his senior season with a final record of 29-10, including a dual-match mark of 17-5. The ITA Southeast Region Player of the Year, Helgeson captured the ITA All-America Singles National Championship during the fall season. The Bulldog co-captain also earned First-Team All-SEC honors for the second straight year.
Helgeson is a rare four-time All-American, earning the accolade twice as a Bulldog and twice at Texas, prior to transferring to Georgia following his sophomore year.
Schnugg posted a dominant sophomore season, securing the best record on the team with a 43-9 mark overall. In dual matches he went 22-4, including a 10-1 record against the SEC. After playing most of his freshman year at the No. 5 position, Schnugg propelled himself to the top of the lineup for 2008, going 5-1 in the No. 1 singles position, 13-3 at No. 2 and 4-0 at No. 3. A First-Team All-SEC choice this year after earning Second-Team honors in 2007, Schnugg continued to step up his play during Georgia's NCAA championship run as he pushed his undefeated NCAA Tournament record to 9-0.
Georgia has now had 39 different players account for 75 All-America awards. The Bulldogs have now had at least one player reach All-America status for 27 consecutive years.
Helgeson and Schnugg will continue to represent collegiate tennis through the summer as both have been selected to the USTA Summer Collegiate Team, an elite training program for the top American collegiate players. Georgia was the only team in the nation to have two of its players chosen to the six-player men's squad.
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