Reynolds Claims Nation’s No. 1 Ranking by ITA 4/23/03
Commodores only team to boast two players in top 10

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Junior Bobby Reynolds (Acworth, Ga.) became Vanderbilt’s fourth current student-athlete to earn a national No. 1 ranking, after the Intercollegiate Tennis Association released their new computer rankings on Wednesday. Reynolds had been ranked No. 2 since March 2.

He joins Vanderbilt senior golfer Brandt Snedeker and women’s tennis doubles’ duo Sarah Riske and Aleke Tsoubanos, who have also been ranked No. 1 nationally. Snedeker, who has been ranked No. 1 twice this year, most recently earned the honor in late February. Riske and Tsoubanos earned the No. 1 ranking back on March 26, which they held for two weeks.

Reynolds improved his 2002-03 overall record to 40-6 after defeating Florida’s Hamid Mirzadeh on Sunday in the SEC Championship match. Besides boasting a 21-1 dual-match record, he has also won 30 of his last 31 matches. Reynolds has been named ITA National Player of the Month on two occasions this year (January & March).

Junior Chad Harris (Aurora, Colo.) also received some good news, as he joined Reynolds in the Top 10 as the ninth-ranked player. The Commodores are the only team in the country to have two players ranked in the Top 10. Harris previously was ranked No. 15 by the ITA. This is the highest singles’ ranking he has ever achieved. Harris has had an incredible year for the Commodores, as he currently holds a 31-10 overall record and a 16-4 dual-match mark.

Sophomore Matt Lockin (Lilburn, Ga.) slipped only eight spots from the previous poll, as he comes in at No. 63. Lockin, who is 25-12 on the year, notched two big wins for Vanderbilt during the SEC Tournament. Lockin defeated Florida’s Troy Hahn in straight sets on Sunday to give the ‘Dores their first singles point.

The Commodores were also well-represented in doubles, as Harris and sophomore Scott Brown (St. Louis, Mo.) came in at No. 18, while Reynolds and junior Lewis Smith (Memphis, Tenn.) moved up to No. 25. Both teams have excellent shots at receiving an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament.

Vanderbilt head coach Ken Flach’s team also moved up to No. 6 in the ITA team rankings following their SEC Tournament championship run. This is the highest ranking in the programs history.

Top 10 Team Rankings (Computer Average)

1. Illinois 108.56
2. Florida 102.29
3. Stanford 93.72
4. UCLA 92.58
5. Baylor 90.22
6. Vanderbilt 89.51
7. California 89.04
8. Mississippi 84.23
9. Duke 74.9
10. Washington 59.62

Top 10 Individual Rankings

1. Bobby Reynolds Vanderbilt
2. Benedikt Dorsch Baylor
3. Bo Hodge Georgia
4. Amer Delic Illinois
5. Janne Holmia Florida
6. Tobias Clemens UCLA
7. Alex Hartman Mississippi
8. Ryan Newport Texas A&M
9. Chad Harris Vanderbilt
10. Jesse Witten Kentucky