Husker Newcomer Ranked in Preseason ITA Poll

Adrian Szatmary, a newcomer on the Nebraska men's tennis team, earned a No. 115 ranking in the preseason Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll released Sept. 10.

"We're excited for Adrian," said Nebraska Coach Kerry McDermott. "We knew he would come in and have a chance to make an impact for us this season, and this shows other people feel the same way. Hopefully he can live up to that expectation and even exceed it."

A transfer from Baylor, Szatmary is the first Husker to earn a national ranking since Florian Preissler was ranked No. 78 on Feb. 26, 2003. Only four Huskers have finished a season nationally ranked in singles action, most recently Lance Mills who was ranked No. 99 to end the 2002 campaign.

A native of Budapest, Hungary, Szatmary joined the Huskers after one season with national champion Baylor. Szatmary earned a 4-2 singles record for the Bears, who went 32-2 on their way to the school's first-ever team national title. Before coming to the United States, Szatmary ranked as high as No. 49 in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) rankings. He also won Hungarian singles and doubles championships in Under 16's and Under 18's.

Szatmary is one of four newcomers to the NU squad in 2004-05, while the Huskers return five letterwinners from last season. Nebraska begins fall action Sept. 24-26 with the Nebraska Invitational in Lincoln. The six-team field will also include Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Denver and Drake.