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Men's Tennis Mount Rushmore

General by Athletic Communications

Vote for the Men's Tennis Mount Rushmore

MALIBU, California – Pepperdine fans, who would you put on the Mount Rushmore of Pepperdine men's tennis?
 
Over the summer and fall, Pepperdine Athletics examined the best Waves ever to wear a particular number on their jersey or cap. Since that only covered eight of our programs, we now turn our attention to highlighting some of the all-time greats for the sports that don't utilize numbers. We are also giving our fans the opportunity to help pick the best of the best for each of these programs.
 
A blue-ribbon panel has created an overall list of what might be considered the most-accomplished men's tennis student-athletes in program history. Please read through the names and highlights, listed alphabetically, and then click on the "VOTE!" graphic to be taken to the ballot, where you can select the four most-deserving student-athletes that you believe belong on the program's Mount Rushmore.
 
Men's Tennis Vote
 
  • Simon Aspelin (Borlange, Sweden) was a four-time All-American for the Waves from 1994-97. He was the 1997 WCC Player of the Year and helped the Waves to no worse than #12 in the end-of-season national team rankings.  Individually, he went as far as the quarterfinals in the 1996 NCAA Tournament. Aspelin had great success in doubles as a pro, winning a U.S. Open title in 2007 and taking home a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics. He was inducted into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
  • Charles Auffray (Paris, France) played from 1992-95 and was a three-time All-American in singles play. He won two WCC singles championships, and reached the round of 16 at the 1992 NCAA singles tournament. At the end of his senior season, the Waves were ranked #5 in the nation.
  • Andre Begemann (Blomberg, Germany) earned All-American honors in each of his three seasons (2006-08). He had the clinching point for the 2006 NCAA champions and was named to the All-NCAA Tournament team. He also made the finals of the NCAA doubles tournament that year, and the semifinals of the singles tournament. He was a two-time WCC Player of the Year. He has been ranked in the top 40 in the world in doubles as a pro.
  • Bassam Beidas (Cairo, Egypt) was a three-time All-American, twice in singles and once in doubles, between 2007-10. He was also the 2010 WCC Player of the Year. He reached the quarterfinals in both the 2008 NCAA singles tournament and the 2009 NCAA doubles tournament.
  • Carlos DiLaura (Lima, Peru) won the 1985 NCAA doubles title with Kelly Jones. A two-year player for the Waves (1984-85), he received All-American recognition that year as well. He also reached the second round of the 1985 NCAA singles tournament. He helped the Waves to a third-place team finish in 1984. DiLaura played in the 1984 Olympics with Peru. He won three doubles titles in the pros.
  • Scott Doerner (Melbourne, Australia) was Pepperdine's #1 player for the 2006 NCAA champions. He earned All-American and WCC Player of the Year status as both a junior and senior. Doerner reached the championship match of the NCAA doubles tournament in 2006. Doerner came back to Pepperdine as a volunteer assistant with the men for a year before becoming an assistant coach with the women for six seasons. He was inducted into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.
  • Eddie Edwards (Johannesburg, South Africa) was a three-time All-American between 1977-80. He won the WCC singles and doubles titles in 1978. He reached the semifinals of the 1978 NCAA singles tournament and twice played in the round of 16 in the NCAA doubles tournament. He helped the Waves finish in fourth place at the 1980 NCAA Championships. He ranked as high in 40th in the world in doubles as a pro.
  • Sebastian Fanselow (Essen, Germany) was a three-time All-American in singles between 2010-13 and a two-time WCC Player of the Year. He made the semifinals of the 2013 NCAA singles tournament, and helped the Waves as a team to reach the semifinals of the NCAAs in 2012 and quarterfinals in 2013. He received the ITA national Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award and the ITA regional Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership & Sportsmanship Award in 2013. In addition to playing professionally he's come back and served as a volunteer assistant for the Waves.
  • Al Garland (Overjise, Belgium) was a two-time All-American in singles and a three-time WCC Player of the Year between 1999-02. He made the semifinals of the 2001 NCAA singles tournament and helped the Waves make the quarterfinals as a team in 2002.  He received the ITA national Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award and the ITA regional Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership & Sportsmanship Award in 2002. After a pro career he is now a Vice President at Octagon in charge of the tennis division.
  • Brad Gilbert (San Francisco, Calif.) excelled in his single season with the Waves, helping Pepperdine make the 1982 national championship match, while also making the finals of the NCAA singles tournament. He ended the year at #6 in the national singles rankings. He had a very successful career as a pro, winning 20 top-level singles titles and ranking as high as #4 in the world, and earning a silver medal at the 1988 Olympics. He's been both a coach and commentator since ending his playing days. He was inducted into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame in 1989.
  • Jerome Jones (Los Angeles, Calif.) won the 1984 NCAA doubles title in 1984 with Kelly Jones. He played from 1980-84 and was an All-American in both singles and doubles in 1984. He helped the Waves to NCAA team finishes of second in 1982, third in 1984 and fourth in 1980 and 1983.
  • Kelly Jones (San Diego, Calif.) won NCAA doubles titles twice for the Waves, first in 1984 with Jerome Jones and again in 1985 with Carlos DiLaura. Jones was an All-American all four seasons between 1983-86 and helped the Waves finish second nationally in 1986, third in 1984 and fourth in 1983. Jones played in the 1984 Olympics and won 10 career professional doubles titles while holding the world's #1 ranking in 1992. He was inducted into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.
  • Martin Laurendeau (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) played from 1983-87, and was an All-American in 1987 and the WCC singles champion in 1986. He recorded a Pepperdine-record 33 dual wins in 1985 and went 33-2 overall. He was part of a second-place NCAA team finish in 1986. He played in the 1988 Olympics with Canada. He both played and coached the Canadian Davis Cup team.
  • Robert Lindstedt (Bastad, Sweden) played for the Waves just one season, in 1998, but he was a doubles All-American who reached the final of the NCAA doubles tournament. He helped Pepperdine reach the quarterfinals in the team event that year. He's had one of the most successful professional careers of any Wave, winning the 2014 Australian Open in doubles, one of 23 career ATP titles, and was a three-time finalist at Wimbledon. He played in the 2012 Olympics for Sweden.
  • Glenn Michibata (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) was a three-time All-American in singles between 1980-83. He won WCC singles and doubles titles in 1982. In the NCAA singles tournament, he reached the quarterfinals in 1981 and 1982 and in doubles he made the round of 16 in 1982. Pepperdine finished second as a team in 1982 and fourth in 1980 and 1983. He was a 1988 Olympian with Canada. He spent 12 years as the head coach at Princeton.
  • Pedro Rico (Alicante, Spain) was a key member of the 2006 NCAA champions and was a two-time All-American between 2003-06. He made the NCAA All-Tournament team in 2006 and was the 2004 WCC Player of the Year. He made the round of 16 in the 2004 NCAA singles tournament and the quarterfinals of 2004 NCAA doubles tournament.
  • Alex Sarkissian (Glendale, Calif.) earned All-American honors and was the WCC Player of the Year in both of his seasons with the Waves (2013-14). He reached the finals of the 2014 NCAA singles tournament, and the quarterfinals in doubles. He helped the Waves reach the quarterfinals in the team competition in 2013.
  • Robbie Weiss (Wheeling, Ill.) won the 1988 NCAA men's singles championship as a senior. He was a two-time All-American and won the WCC singles titles in 1985 and 1986, and a doubles title in 1987. He helped Pepperdine make it to the NCAA championship match in 1986 and to the quarterfinals in each of his other three seasons. After a pro career, Weiss now coaches collegiately and is the head coach at Clemson. He was inducted into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.
 
Men's Tennis Vote

 
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