SMC Tennis Sending Three To Nationals
SPARTANBURG, SC – Spartanburg Methodist College is sending
two women to compete in the National Junior College Athletic
Association’s national tennis tournament this weekend and
will follow that up with a return trip to the men’s
tournament the weekend after.
Sophomore Annastacia Laing (Bluffton HS / Bluffton, SC) and
freshman Courtney Nutt (Byrnes HS / Moore, SC) will be representing
SMC in the tournament being held May 2-7 at Randolph Tennis Center
in Tuscon, AZ. Both women are unranked in NJCAA polls going into
the tournament.
Laing posted an 9-2 singles record on the season, while Nutt
brought in a 8-3 singles record. Both women were 6-4 in doubles on
the season, to lead the SMC women’s team to a 5-6 spring
season record. The team posted a 4-1 pre-season.
“The women's team has had one of its most successful seasons
in several years. Having Courtney at the No. 3 position and
Annastacia at the No. 5 position at nationals puts them in a good
spot to compete. They should have a good chance of advancing in the
tournament and will be competing at the No. 2 doubles
position,” says head coach Rodney McAlister.
On the men’s side, sophomore Christian Ranguelov, of Sofia,
Bulgaria, will make a return appearance to the NJCAA Men’s
National Tournament May 10-15 at Collier County Community College
in Plano, TX.
Ranguelov, who played the No. 1 position for the men’s team
throughout the season, is individually ranked No. 57 in the NJCAA,
while the SMC men’s team is currently ranked No. 22.
He led the men’s team to a 3-6 spring season record, after it
posted 4-2 pre-season. Individually, he posted a 6-3 record on the
season in both individual and doubles matches.
“The men's team had a very hard season after losing three
starters, which made it difficult to compete against other teams
with more depth. He is a very determined player who has a
well rounded game and is very capable of competing with most
players at this position on the junior college level. I think
he should make an excellent showing at nationals,” added
McAlister.
Spartanburg Methodist College has 14 intercollegiate teams that
compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic
Association, which includes colleges in the Carolinas, Virginia and
West Virginia.
The College is in its 98th year of providing quality education to
students in a Christian environment. More than 90 percent of
SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of
higher learning. For more information contact Brian Fulkerson,
director of public information, at (864) 230-3586
