Eagles To Play Concordia (Calif.) in NAIA Tournament
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially released the bracket for the 2012 NAIA Men's Tennis National Championships, held May 15 - 19 in Mobile, Ala. The 61st annual event is hosted by the Mobile Tennis Center.
The 24-team field is comprised of 12 squads who earned an automatic berth by winning their respective conference/independent/unaffiliated group tournaments, 10 at-large selections, one who earned an automatic bid by way of a conference regular-season champion in Fresno Pacific (Calif.) and one host berth, which went to Mobile. The 10 at-large selections were determined by the final NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll released Monday.
Asbury will square off with the 12th-seeded Concordia (Calif.) Eagles in the first round. Asbury is seeded 21st in the 24-team field. Asbury has set a school record with 14 wins and has won seven straight matches and 9-of-10. The Eagles claimed their first KIAC Regular Season Title since 1998 with a perfect 5-0 league mark. Asbury is one of four schools making their first appearance in the NAIA National Tournament.
Concordia (8-12) qualified as the 6th at-large selection. Their conference, Golden States Athletic, will send six schools to Mobile, the most of any conference. The Eagles are making their fifth appearance and hold a 4-4 mark in the tournament.
The NAIA National Tournament moved to a team format in the 2000 season.
Tournament play will begin on Tuesday, May 15 at 1 pm CDT, 2 pm EDT.
