STAFF REPORTS

Following the first national ITA rankings for both Lincoln Memorial University tennis teams in nearly two decades this spring, both programs have officially finished in the top-70 for the final collegiate rankings.

Women’s duo Julia Valls and Valentina Ascarrunz finished 20th in the nation for doubles competition, an all-time high for the program. Valls and Ascarrunz were ranked in the final six weeks of the season, knocking off the No. 5, No. 25, No. 33 and No. 42-ranked sides, finishing 15-4 on the year.

The Lady Railsplitter tennis squad finished ranked 62nd nationally in the final ITA rankings, after being ranked the final 10 weeks of the campaign. The women reached a season-high ranking of 20th on March 10, the highest ranking in program-history. It was the first national ranking for the LMU women since the 2004-05 season.

The LMU men’s tennis team reached a final ranking of No. 67 in the ITA this season, and climbed as high as No. 47 in DII on March 17. The Railsplitters were nationally ranked in the final nine weeks of the season, and appeared in the ITA top-75 for the first time since 2001-02.