The University of New Mexico men’s tennis team has a long and proud tradition of success. Lately, they have proved why more people should pay attention to UNM tennis. The athletes responsible for sparking much deserved attention this season are David Kowalski and Ryan Stotland. These two have paired up to form a fierce doubles team that recently made some noise at the prestigious ICY HOT/ITA All-American Championships in Chattanooga, Tenn. The ITA, which stands for Intercollegiate Tennis Association, holds three highly respected national events that include the All-American Championships, the National Individual Indoor Championships and the NCAA Championships. Each event hosts top ranked Division I players from around the nation. Next up for the New Mexico duo is the Indoor Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich. Nov. 4-7.
Kowalski and Stotland did what no other UNM men’s tennis players have done before. The 24th-ranked duo played in the finals of the ICY HOT/ITA All-American Championships. It marked the first time any Lobo has ever made it to the finals of a national tournament. To get to the finals, Kowalski and Stotland won seven straight matches including three over top-20 teams. Arguably their most impressive win was over the nationally top-ranked team of Sam Warburg and KC Corkery from Stanford.
Their success shouldn’t surprise anyone. These two have been extremely successful throughout their careers. Both have made it to the top-10 in UNM history for most career doubles wins with a whole year left to play. Stotland is a three-time All-Mountain West Conference member, a two-time Academic All-MWC and ITA Scholar Athlete honoree. He made an appearance with Brent Salazar at the NCAA Doubles Championships as a sophomore and has been ranked in doubles every year of his career. Kowalski has been recognized to the All-MWC team two consecutive years. He too has been on the Academic All-MWC team and an ITA Scholar athlete. Kowalski has been ranked nationally in both singles and doubles.
With all these accomplishments, Kowalski and Stotland are still looked upon as underdogs when it comes to competing on the national scene. Their successful run at the ICY HOT/ITA All-American Championships has earned them a bid to the ITA National Individual Indoor Championships. It will be another chance for the men to add more highlights to their resumes and possibly bring home UNM’s first title in a national tournament.
The doubles team recently sat down for a conversation on their experience at the All-American Championships, their place in Lobo tennis history and their general feelings on the sport they play.
On the ITA Tournament Experience
What does competing in the ITA’s top two national tournaments mean to you compared to competing in the MWC Championships and the NCAAs?Ryan: Personally I like team events better but it feels good to do better individually.
David: For me it is about the same. I really couldn’t tell the difference. It was just another college tournament. Team, of course, you can celebrate your victories with your teammates. We were out there by ourselves. That is the only real difference.
When you found out that you were entering the ICY HOT/ITA All-American Tournament in the Qualifying Rounds, how did you feel about it considering you got a bid to the Main Draw last year?
Ryan: Not to happy to start. We were the second alternates to get into the Mains so we were hoping to get in the Mains the whole time before we started.
David: In a way it was kind of good because it started off really well and we got on a hot streak in the Qualies and it carried on to the main draw. So it actually was better it worked out that way.
How did it affect you physically and emotionally once you started playing and ended up making it to the finals of the main draw, something that no other UNM team has done?
David: The last day was mentally tiring, to go through those intense matches like that but physically it is just doubles so I wasn’t really tired. Mentally it drains on you to be living in a hotel for a week.
Ryan: I was out there three days before him so I was even more tired of tennis than anybody. But I was glad we were winning. Eventually, we said we won to everybody every day so it got repetitious kind of, but in a good way.
The 24th-ranked duo upset No. 1 Warburg and Corkery of Stanford. |
Knowing that you already have a bid to the ITA National Individual Indoor Championships, will it affect your play at the ITA Mountain Regionals this week?
David: I hope not. We are going to try and forget about it. It is going to be harder because we are going in as the number one seed and everyone is going to be trying to beat us.
Ryan: It shouldn’t affect us though. Our goal was to win Regionals before we started so that is the goal we have had since the beginning of the year so I still want to do it. I have never won Regionals in my career and this is my last year to do it.
And how about competing in singles David, you made it to the semis last year. What do you except this year, can the two of you make it to the finals?
David: We’ll see. It is kind of hard to get back and beat a semifinal performance.
UNM Tennis History Makers
You have established yourselves as one of the top doubles team to ever compete at UNM. Do you ever sit back and reflect upon your place in school history?
David: I don’t think it is over yet. I want to do well at the NCAA Tournament and be All-Americans. There have been doubles teams before us like Pepe Caballero and Nic Dubey who were All-Americans twice and I want to do better than them.
Ryan: I just want to be an All-American. That has been my dream so I am hoping to achieve it.David: The season has just started so there is a long way to go.
David, you are a New Mexico native, how much does it mean to you to wear the UNM uniform, particularly when you compete at elite national tournaments?
David: It feels good. I feel proud to represent everyone at the tournament. There was this one guy from Virginia who was like, `These are the guys who beat Stanford. They’re from New Mexico, are you kidding me?’ It feels good when you hear that kind of stuff and the tournament directors say, `Yeah, they can sure play doubles in New Mexico.’ It just feels good since there aren’t that many tennis players in New Mexico.
How much pressure is on you guys right now considering last year you went 5-0 in the conference, won the regular season, won the conference championship and now your team has completely changed from last year and you two have to lead everyone?
David: It is going to be hard.
Ryan: It is a lot of leadership. We have a lot of freshmen and we don’t know who will be coming in so we have to take care of the kids who come in at the semester. But we have a hard dilemma to repeat but hopefully we can.
Final Questions
Which do you prefer playing, singles or doubles?
David and Ryan: Doubles
What do you think makes you two a good doubles team?
David: I think we compliment each other’s games real well. He has a big serve, I really don’t. I’ve got good returns and he is sometimes flashy on them.
Ryan: Plus we have had a year of experience together. That is always hard to get used to a new partner. We had different partners for our first two years. It helps when you play together for a while so you know what the other person is doing. Because I had no idea what he was doing last year.
How do you prepare for a tennis match, any superstitions?
Ryan: I get superstitious eventually. I try not to but I do. I just try to relax.
David: I don’t really have anything either. We made the coaches do laundry at the tournament cause we had our lucky outfit because we were doing so well.
Kowalski and Stotland are the first pair from UNM to make it to the finals of a national tournament. |
How much do you pay attention to the ITA national rankings for singles and doubles?
Ryan: Every win helps and to beat the better players helps you out. The goal is to be All-American and to do that you need to be top-10. To accomplish that you need to beat top-ranked teams and that is our goal.
David: Especially when you beat a highly ranked team like Stanford being the No. 1 team in the country.
If you could be a successful Division I athlete in another sport, what would it be?
David: I wish. I wish I was a good basketball player.
Ryan: It would be fun to play in The Pit. But it would be fun to play every sport. I played every sport in high school and I would like to do everyone here.
Both: Football and Basketball, the basics.
What would you say is you best athletic moment to date?
David: Still hasn’t happened yet. I don’t know, this definitely has to be up there. Winning conference last year is pretty high up there, being so emotional with the team there.
Ryan: Last year was definitely it for me. I mean this is good but that was team celebration and our whole year is based on that. No one was really focused on us and no one was expecting us to do good. After this you got to just go play the next tournament.
What’s your favorite place to eat in Albuquerque and what’s the best meal there?
Ryan: Tucanos for me with the buffet.
David: Dos Hermanos and the breakfast burritos or Golden Pride’s breakfast burrito.
What made you come to UNM?
David: Well since I am from New Mexico, I just decided to stay local. I could get a pretty good scholarship so it was easier to adjust.
Ryan: I just looked at all my options and I thought it was the best one. I hadn’t made up my mind until really late, I just wanted to get away from home. I actually had no idea what Albuquerque was like because I had never been here and I was in total shock when I first got here.
If you could play any tennis pro in the world who would it be?
David: Maria Sharapova
Ryan: Roger Federer
What is in your cd player right now?
David: A mix. I am listening to a mix cd right now.
Ryan: I like everything, there is nothing I don’t like.
Who is your favorite pro athlete?
David: Pete Sampras before he retired. Now maybe Lance Armstrong.
Ryan: I have no idea.
What is your favorite team?
Ryan: Cincinnati Bengals
David: New York Giants
Who is your role model?
David: His dad (pointing to Ryan).
Ryan: I would say my dad too.