University of Minnesota Athletics
Geatz to Begin NCAA Singles Play on Wednesday
5/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Geatz, ranked 59th in the nation and unseeded in the tournament, will take on No. 2 seed John Isner of Georgia. Geatz will be making his first career appearance in the NCAA singles tournament. The two are scheduled to begin play at 6 p.m., Central time. Isner, ranked second in the country, has won 26 consecutive matches, and owns a 43-2 overall record this season. Geatz was the first alternate in the initial announcement of the selections, but was inserted into the bracket after a competitor dropped out of the tournament with an injury.
Geatz, a 2006 All-Big Ten selection, is currently ranked 59th in the nation in singles. The son of Head Coach David Geatz, D.J. has played all but three of his matches at No. 1 singles. A native of Minneapolis, Geatz began the season with a quarterfinal appearance at the 2005 Big Ten Singles Championship before storming out of the gates in the dual season to vault up the national rankings. Unranked in singles to start the year, Geatz rose to as high as No. 49 after posting a 7-6 record vs. ranked opponents with wins over then-Nos. 32, 44, 47, 50, 55, 110 and 125. For the season, Geatz owns a 20-15 singles record and an 8-13 record in doubles dual matches.
Last season, Minnesota’s Avery Ticer lost in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Singles Championships in College Station, Texas. Ticer, then ranked 31st in the nation, lost 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 to No. 16 Franticek Babej of South Alabama. Ticer was making his first career appearance in the national singles tournament. Minnesota has placed a singles player in each of the last six NCAA Singles Championships.
Players Mentioned
