Northwestern University Athletics
NU Hosts No. 71 Penn State, No. 24 Ohio State
4/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 10, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern wraps up its home regular-season docket this weekend, as it hosts No. 71 Penn State on Saturday and No. 24 Ohio State on Sunday. Highlighting the weekend, NU hosts Senior Day on Saturday. Festivities begin a little before noon Central time, as head coach Paul Torricelli and the Wildcats will honor seniors Josh Axler (Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman), Russell Bennett (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) and Jackie Jenkins (College Park, Ga./Westlake). Prizes and pizza will also be given away both days.
The senior trio has enjoyed a successful collegiate career at NU, earning two trips to the NCAA Tournament in its first three seasons. After being honored before Saturday's dual against Penn State, the trio will conclude its last home weekend at noon Sunday against Ohio State.
"Josh, Jackie and Russ have been the heart of our program throughout their four years," Torricelli said. "They've made an enormous contribution on and off the court. Their leadership and enthusiasm have really made a difference. All three of them have worked as hard as ever this year and have set a great example for the rest of the guys. They'll be missed!"
Weather permitting, the 'Cats will be outdoors this weekend at the Vandy Christie Center. If not, they will be indoors again at the Combe Tennis Center. A final decision will not be announced until the morning of each match.
There will be free T-shirt tosses at the beginning of each day, as well as free pizza and free student raffles. After Sunday's match against Ohio State, there will be an autograph session with the NU players.
THE 'CATS AND THE COMPETITION
Axler and Jenkins have been regular starters for NU this season in both singles and doubles. Axler holds a 13-15 overall singles mark and Jenkins has a 12-15 record. Axler also is 16-12 in doubles, while Jenkins is 13-10. Bennett, the 2003 team captain, has been effective in doubles play, collecting a 6-11 overall record.
Penn State enters the match with a 13-6 overall record, including 2-4 in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions are led by freshmen phenoms Nate Emge and Mark Barry. Barry leads the squad with a 26-7 overall singles record, including a 15-4 dual record. Emge checks in with a 22-9 mark. The two also pair up as the Lions' top doubles duo, with a 16-7 record. They are 3-3 in Big Ten duals.
Ohio State is currently second in the Big Ten with a 5-1 conference mark (heading into Friday's match at Wisconsin). The Buckeyes, 15-5 overall, are led by senior Vince Ng and junior Jeremy Wurtzman. Ng, ranked 32nd in the nation, owns a 126-44 career record, tied for the most singles wins in school history. Wurtzman, ranked 21st in the country, collected his 16th dual win of the year last week against Purdue.
NU defeated Penn State, 4-3, but lost to Ohio State, 6-1, in 2002. The 'Cats hold the series advantage against both teams: they are 12-1 against PSU and 51-32 against OSU.
