Tennis teams wrap up seasons against ASU

Nicholas Valenzuela Arizona Daily Wildcat Freshman Carly Stringer reaches for a volley during a match against California at Robson Tennis Center. The Wildcats are at Arizona State this Saturday.

The Wildcats (8-10 overall, 2-9 Pacific 10 Conference) are still feeling growing pains late in the season, carrying only two seniors at a time when leadership is necessary for survival. The highest ranked Wildcat is No. 1 singles player Adnan Novo (9-8), who is currently ranked No. 100 overall in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's rankings. Losses to California and Stanford last weekend by a combined 12-1 score has seriously decreased the Wildcats' chances at the Pac-10 Tournament, which commences next week in Ojai, Calif.

The Wildcats are currently ranked No. 46 in the nation. The conference tournament is bound to be a tall order considering there are five Pac-10 teams ranked ahead of UA, including the UCLA Bruins, ranked No. 1.

Arizona State, currently ranked No. 14 in the nation, is coming off of a disappointing weekend in which it was beaten by No. 9 Stanford 6-1. Led by Gustavo Marcaccio (8-8), the Sun Devils are aiming for a sweep of the season series against the UA men. They won the Feb. 26 match in Tempe 5-2.

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The UA women's team seems to be hitting its stride as the regular season winds down. "We're peaking at the right time," head coach Stephanie London said. "This'll be a good way to finish."

The Wildcats (7-11 overall, 3-8 Pac-10), ranked No. 58 nationally in the ITA Spring Rankings, appear ready to finish strong despite losing their past two matches by a combined score of 11-1.

"We're still playing off of the momentum from the trip to the Pacific Northwest," London said, a trip in which UA went 3-0. "We're a little cocky, walking with a swagger. I like that."

Senior Monique Allegre (1-6) will lead the Wildcats into Tempe against a physical ASU team. Freshman Alison Bradshaw, the top-ranked Sun Devil, will be a tough challenge for a young and inexperienced UA team.

"They've got a lot of physical, physical girls," London said. "We can't just let them take us like that."

UA track hosts Arizona Elite Classic

The majority of the UA track team will be in action this Friday and Saturday at the UA hosted Arizona Elite Classic, while a handful of distance runners will travel to Walnut, Calif., to compete at the Mt. SAC Relays.

The field at the Arizona Elite Classic will be a strong one, with teams from Arizona State, Oregon and San Diego as well as a slew of professional runners scheduled to compete.

"There are a number of very good open athletes competing," associate head coach Fred Harvey said. "Overall, the meet should be a very competitive one."

With only a handful of meets left to qualify for the NCAA Championships, Harvey said a lot of UA runners will be looking to qualify this weekend for the June 2-5 meet.

The Mt. SAC Relays will also feature a competitive field of collegiate teams from around the nation and some professional athletes as well.

The Wildcats will send eight runners to the meet including Pac-10 athlete of the week, sophomore Patrick Nduwimana. Last week at the Sun Angel Classic, Nduwimana ran 1 minute, 46.48 seconds in the 800-meters, the fastest collegiate time in the nation this season in that event.

The Arizona Elite Classic begins today at 3 p.m. and resumes tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Drachman Stadium. The Mt. SAC Relays will also take place today and tomorrow, beginning at 6 p.m. on both days. - Brian Wahlund

UA men's golf travels to ASU

The Arizona men's golf team will travel to Tempe this weekend to participate in the 27th annual Arizona State Thunderbird/Savane Invitational. The tournament will be played at ASU's Karsten Golf Course and boasts 15 nationally ranked squads, including No. 8 Arizona State and No. 22 California.

Although the Wildcats have fallen on hard times lately, carding disappointing finishes in their last few tournaments, junior Derek Gillespie believes this weekend could be a crucial turning point leading into this month's Pacific 10 Conference Tournament.

"I think we don't have any expectations," he said. "We'll try to do the best we can, focus on our own games and see what we can do from there."

The Wildcats will hope to better last year's finish of fifth place at the Thunderbird/Savane when play starts tomorrow at 6:45 a.m.

- Jensen Karp