Cutler, Hoeland and Watts Qualify for NCAA Championships

NCAA RELEASE

St. Louis, Mo., May 6, 2008 – Juniors Charlie Cutler and Chris Hoeland and sophomore John Watts will represent Washington University in the 2008 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Individual Championships, held May 16-18 at the Wallach Tennis Center in Lewiston, Maine.

Cutler and Watts are two of 32 student-athletes who will compete in the singles draw, while Cutler and Hoeland are one of 16 doubles teams selected. Last season, Cutler and Hoeland lost in the quarterfinals while Watts was upended in the national championship match.

The Bears’ No. 1 doubles team, Cutler and Hoeland, are 22-7 this season, including a 12-5 mark in dual matches. A second-team all-University Athletic Association (UAA) selection, Cutler and Hoeland are 2-1 against nationally ranked opponents.

Watts, who is ranked No. 1 in Division III in singles, has posted an overall record of 25-4 while playing the top spot for the Bears. He won the Wilson/ITA Division III National Small College Singles Championship and the Wilson/ITA Central Region Singles Championship in the fall.

Cutler is ranked No. 18 in Division III in singles and has posted an 18-8 overall record. He becomes just the second student-athlete in school history to qualify for five individual NCAA Tournaments. Ari Rosenthal (2002-06), the school’s all-time wins leader with 180 victories, qualified for the NCAA Tournament a school-record six times.

No. 5 Washington University and No. 6 Gustavus Adolphus College will meet in the 2008 NCAA Division III Quarterfinals on Tuesday, May 13, at 6 p.m. (ET), in Lewiston, Maine. Washington U. is making its fifth appearance in the quarterfinals.