Press Release

April 27, 2011

Men’s tennis nets sixth straight NCAA tournament appearance

MARYVILLE, Mo. - MIAA-champion Northwest Missouri State has qualified for the NCAA Men's Tennis Tournament for the sixth consecutive season and for the 11^th time in the last 12 years as the 48-team field was announced Tuesday evening.

Northwest (19-4), the four seed in South Central Region 1, will take on top-seeded St. Edward's (12-8) at 2 p.m. Sunday in Austin, Texas, for the right to advance to the 16-team national tournament held May 11-14 in Altamonte Springs, Fla.

St. Edwards, champions of the Heartland Conference, has bounced Northwest from the NCAA tournament in each of the last two seasons. St. Edward's won 5-4 last season in the round of 32 also played in Austin. In 2009, the Hilltoppers won 5-0 in a first-round matchup in Lawton, Okla.

Northwest is making its 23^rd postseason appearance and 14^th since the shift to the team format in 1983. The Bearcats are 9-4 in opening games since 1995. Northwest earned its MIAA-record 16^th conference championship Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.

Head coach Mark Rosewell is 13-13 in 13 NCAA tournament appearances with the Northwest men. He's led the Bearcats to nationals and the round of 16 four times (1995, 2003, 2006, 2007).