July 6, 2010

Combe Tennis Center Photo Gallery

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's men's and women's tennis programs, which together have won a total of 22 Big Ten championships, recently unveiled a new way for fans to recall the rich history of Wildcat tennis. A new series of wall mounts installed in the Combe Tennis Center pays tribute to the multitudes of NU alumni who over the years contributed to Northwestern's impressive tradition of tennis excellence.

"We've had so many unbelievable tennis players come through Northwestern on both the men's and women's sides," NU women's tennis coach Claire Pollard said. "We thought this would be a perfect way to honor them and also remind our current Wildcats that they are playing not just for themselves but also for the hundreds of players at Northwestern who preceded them."

The extensive project includes team photos from nearly every tennis season in Wildcat history, which dates back more than 70 years on the men's side and 30 years on the women's side. It also highlights Northwestern's most outstanding individual achievers, including first-team All-American and Big Ten champion Todd Martin and two pairs of NCAA doubles champions in Katrina Adams and Diane Donnelly (1987) as well as Cristelle Grier and Alexis Prousis (2006).

Additionally, NU men's tennis coach Arvid Swan added a new banner to the rafters that recalls the accomplishments of Marty Riessen and Clark Graebner, a pair of 1963 All-Americans who won Big Ten doubles championships in 1963 and 1964. Riessen and Graebner each eventually became Davis Cup team members and each earned induction into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Hall of Fame.

A third display is home to the Arlie Weiss Memorial Sportsmanship Award, which as of 2010 is presented annually to a Northwestern men's tennis player who consistently displays outstanding sportsmanship and represents the University in a first-class manner. The inaugural winner of the award this season was senior and three-year captain Alex Sanborn.

"We have always been proud of our history at Northwestern but these installations are a chance for our fans and friends of the program to come out to a match and discuss what has made this such a special school to play tennis for," Swan said.

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