Players Mentioned
Muscheites, Kecic Earn ITA Preseason Rankings
9/14/2017 9:15:00 AM | Men's Tennis
TEMPE, Ariz. - With the opening of the 2017-18 season just around the corner, North Florida men's tennis seniors Lasse Muscheites and Jefta Kecic garnered national recognition in the Oracle/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Collegiate Tennis Men's Division I Preseason Rankings.
Kecic earned a No. 71 position in singles play, while the duo placed No. 23 in the nation. Muscheites and Kecic posted a 6-1 tournament mark together in 2017 facing off in the Duke Invite and the Bedford Cup.Â
"Being nationally recognized in the preseason rankings is a great honor for these two seniors," said head coach Matt Lucas. "It shows that they are some of the top players in the country, and that is what you want from your senior leaders. The preseason rankings are an acknowledgement of results from last season, and Lasse and Jefta each had quality seasons as juniors."
Muscheites is coming off a stellar junior season that saw him earn a runner-up finish at the ITA All-American Doubles Championship in the fall before earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament alongside Jack Findel-Hawkins where the pair advanced to the round of 16. He finished the year ranked No. 45 with Findel-Hawkins.
Playing in his first year with the Ospreys, Kecic posted an 18-13 singles record including a 5-1 ASUN mark. Overall he went 17-6 in doubles with three different pairings including the 6-1 mark with Muscheites in the beginning of the season. He opened the 2017 spring season with a victory against No. 4 Skander Mansouri of Wake Forest and also picked up one other win against a nationally-ranked opponent.
"I know they are eager to build upon this and strive to elevate their games to move up even further," added Lucas. "It also shows the younger guys and recruits that UNF tennis has set a standard of excellence that they need to reach for as well. I am incredibly proud of these two, and cannot wait to get on the courts and battle with them."
North Florida heads to the Duke Invite this weekend, but the pair of Muscheites and Kecic do not debut until the Florida Ranked +1 tournament beginning on September 21.
Kecic earned a No. 71 position in singles play, while the duo placed No. 23 in the nation. Muscheites and Kecic posted a 6-1 tournament mark together in 2017 facing off in the Duke Invite and the Bedford Cup.Â
"Being nationally recognized in the preseason rankings is a great honor for these two seniors," said head coach Matt Lucas. "It shows that they are some of the top players in the country, and that is what you want from your senior leaders. The preseason rankings are an acknowledgement of results from last season, and Lasse and Jefta each had quality seasons as juniors."
Muscheites is coming off a stellar junior season that saw him earn a runner-up finish at the ITA All-American Doubles Championship in the fall before earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament alongside Jack Findel-Hawkins where the pair advanced to the round of 16. He finished the year ranked No. 45 with Findel-Hawkins.
Playing in his first year with the Ospreys, Kecic posted an 18-13 singles record including a 5-1 ASUN mark. Overall he went 17-6 in doubles with three different pairings including the 6-1 mark with Muscheites in the beginning of the season. He opened the 2017 spring season with a victory against No. 4 Skander Mansouri of Wake Forest and also picked up one other win against a nationally-ranked opponent.
"I know they are eager to build upon this and strive to elevate their games to move up even further," added Lucas. "It also shows the younger guys and recruits that UNF tennis has set a standard of excellence that they need to reach for as well. I am incredibly proud of these two, and cannot wait to get on the courts and battle with them."
North Florida heads to the Duke Invite this weekend, but the pair of Muscheites and Kecic do not debut until the Florida Ranked +1 tournament beginning on September 21.
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Thursday, August 30
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Monday, April 24
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Friday, April 21
