Ole Miss Men’s Tennis Earns Elite Status, On and Off the Court

December 10, 2015 — Oxford, Miss.

The men’s tennis program at Ole Miss is considered one of the top programs in the country, year in and year out competing for NCAA and SEC Championships. They recruit all over the world, seeking out the very best players the sport has to offer. They not only achieve oustanding success on the court, but they are wildy succesful in the classroom with players leaving Ole Miss to become highly successful in their career endeavors. The goal this year is nothing less than a National Title and another Chancellor’s Cup.

First round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament hosted in Oxford, MS. Photo by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics

“One word: consistency. I truly believe that the consistent approach of long time head coach Billy Chadwick has paid off in a big way,” Ole Miss Athletic Director Ross Bjork says of the tennis program here at Ole Miss.

Head Coach Toby Hansson took over for the Rebels in 2015. Following an outstanding career as a player and an eight-year tenure as an assistant to Ole Miss men’s tennis hall of fame head coach Billy Chadwick, he plans to continue the excellence and consistent approach of the beloved Chadwick.

“The blueprint has been developed and now Toby will lead the way,” Bjork says. “His (Chadwick’s) approach to recruiting at the highest level and creating a culture of excellence in everything they do has put us in the position we are today.”

With big shoes to fill, Hansson delivered. In his first year as head coach Hansson and the Rebels went back to the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd consecutive time, led by 4-time All-American and 2014 SEC player of the year Nik Scholtz. The Rebels also earned a final ranking of No. 17 in the nation and finished in the top four of the SEC for the 17th time.

Stefan Lindmark became just the fifth player in Ole Miss history to go undefeated in the SEC in No. 2 singles (8–0). He earned All-SEC First Team honors as well. Gustav Hansson also received honors, making the the second team and the All-Freshman Team.

Coach Hansson played a major role in recruiting as an assistant coach, including landing Nik Scholtz, a native of Caledon, South Africa, who became the fourth Rebel to earn the honor and the first to be named SEC Freshman and Player of the Year during his career.

Ole Miss Men’s Tennis vs Kentucky, Nik Scholtz on April 4th, 2015 in Oxford, MS. Photo by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics

Scholtz is now a professional and flies the Ole Miss flag all over the world, including in his most recent victory and seventh pro title, the South Africa F1 Futures in Stellenbosch. He just recently broke into the top 400 players in the world, which is world-class level and very difficult to achieve, according to Ole Miss assistant coach.

Assistant coach Taylor Vaughn brings seven years of coaching experience to the table. He most recently spent six years at his alma mater, University of North Carolina at Wilmington. While he was there Vaughn helped lead the Seahawks to five NCAA appearances.

“There are so many good players, so the fact that he just broke 400 is crazy,” Vaughn says of Ole Miss alum Scholtz. When Scholtz wins a tournament he wears an Ole Miss hat and shirt, and he speaks highly of the Ole Miss experience.

As assistant coach Vaughn plays a large role in recruiting, as well as the player development and really getting to know the team on a personal level.

“I like interacting with the guys and helping them not only become better players but better people,” Vaughn says.

He recruited three tournaments this summer, including two that he could only reach by plane. Similar to soccer, tennis is a worldly sport, so the Rebels go worldwide to recruit the best players, according to Vaughn. Rather than visiting individual player’s high schools, they scout large tournaments where there are a large concentration of the world’s best talent in one place.

“Recruiting is an art and not a science,” A.D. Ross Bjork says. Therefore, in the pursuit of excellence, recruiting international student-athletes has been a necessity in order to compete at the highest level. Collegiate tennis (both men’s and women’s) has gone to an international game and the global reach of the university has allowed the Rebels to be an attractive choice to international students.

“We are supportive of this approach and it helps make our university and tennis programs, that much better,” Bjork says.

The Ole Miss tennis team is made up of players from across the globe. Click this button to see where they grew up.

Senior Stefan Lindmark, like Head Coach Toby Hansson, is from Sweden, which played a large role in his recruiting process. When Hansson began recruiting him at the European Championship Tournament in Sweden, college was not on his radar. He had taken time off from high school and in order to play in the NCAA, students must graduate when they are supposed to. Lindmark ended up graduating in two years instead of three, and credits Coach Hansson for his decision to come to Ole Miss.

“Back then I had no intentions to even go to college, but he really convinced me to look into it,” Lindmark says of collegiate tennis. “Now that I have been here for a while I’ve truly realized how special this part of my life is, and I could not have been happier by choosing Ole Miss.”

Stefan Lindmark against Tennessee on April 2nd, 2015 in Oxford, MS. Photo by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics

As far as the future goes, Lindmark hopes to see how far the Professional Circuit can take him. If that doesn’t go well, he will head back to Sweden and find a job for a couple of years before opening his own business. Lindmark is a majoring in Managerial Finance and Banking Finance.

College tennis has become increasingly attractive to those seeking a way into the professional ranks. Four years of competing is invaluable and sets players up for the strenuous life of a professional trying to climb to the top of the ladder.

All of this to say, Ole Miss been ranked among the top for the past 21 years athletically, and they have excelled just as much in the classroom. The men’s tennis team has received the Chancellor’s Cup ten times, which is awarded to the men’s and women’s varsity teams with the highest cumulative grade point average. The Rebels have also been named an ITA All-Academic team nine times, including the year 2015. This is given to teams with a 3.2 cumulative grade point average or above on a 4.0 scale. Individually, the Rebels have had many Capital One Academic All-Americans and numerous ITA Scholar-Athletes.

Senior Allie Robbins is a member of the woman’s tennis team at Ole Miss. When she was a freshman, she began dating then sophomore tennis player Johan Backstrom. He now works for KPMG in New York, and she will join him there next fall.

“I think that the hardwork during undergrad is a direct correlation to the success that each player has after graduation,” Robbins says. “It has been great to see not only his journey, but also everyone on his team and mine as well.”

The Rebels boast 75 All-SEC picks, 109 Academic All-SEC honorees, 29 All-Americans and 29 National Academic Honorees. Success is a favorite past time for the Rebels, and looking ahead to the 2016 season, they will return six players from the 2015 lineup.