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June 4, 1997
Clemson, SC -- The Clemson men's tennis team finished 19th in the final Rolex Collegiate Tennis Rankings, Clemson's highest team ranking since 1989. Tigers Mitch Sprengelmeyer and Bruce Li also received significant individual rankings according to data released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Clemson's number-19 national ranking was the 13th top 20 ranking for the Tigers under Head Coach Chuck Kriese. The Tigers posted a 20-11 record and won the ACC Championship with victories in Atlanta April 18-20 over Wake Forest, Florida State and 12th ranked Duke. It was Kriese's 10th ACC championship as Tiger head coach. Clemson also qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
Sprengelmeyer finished 19th in the final NCAA singles rankings, while Li was 86th. The doubles duo of Sprengelmeyer and Li ranked 23rd. Sprengelmeyer, a native of Florence, SC, had a 36-7 record in singles play this past year and the .837 winning percentage was the fourth best in Clemson history, the top mark since 1985. He was named ACC Player of the Year and National Senior Player of the Year for 1997.
Sprengelmeyer and Li had a 26-8 record as a doubles team, and the .765 winning percentage was the seventh best in Clemson history. It was the third straight year that Sprengelmeyer had been on a top 25 doubles team. Li, a junior from West Hempstead, NY, had a 21-14 record in singles and a 28-11 mark in doubles. He was the MVP of the ACC Tournament this past season.
Sprengelmeyer concluded his career with 115 singles victories and 112 doubles wins. He is 10th in career singles wins and eighth in career doubles victories at Clemson.
Final NCAA Men's Tennis Top 20 1. Stanford 2. Georgia 3. UCLA 4. Mississippi 5. Kentucky 6. Mississippi State 7. Boise State 8. Duke 9. LSU 10. Florida 11. Texas 12. Pepperdine 13. South alabama 14. Auburn 15. Southern California 16. Notre Dame 17. Middle Tennessee State 18. Virginia Commonwealth 19. Clemson 20. Illinois
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