FERRIS STATE’S JAN TALIAN NAMED GLIAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Senior Captain Among Four Bulldog Players Receiving All-League Recognition
 | Senior captain Jan Talian became the first FSU player in nine years to earn GLIAC Player of the Year honors |
Senior captain Jan Talian (Pisek, Czech Republic) of the 2002-03 Ferris State University men’s tennis team became the first FSU player in nine years to be named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Player of the Year in an announcement made by the league office. The league’s nine head coaches participated in the balloting process.
Talian, who is the eighth Ferris player and first since Werner Huss in 1994 to claim the league’s highest individual honor, was one of four Bulldog players to receive all-conference recognition. Junior Francisco Valencia (Carabobo, Venezuela) and sophomore Martin Hoch (Bludenz, Austria) joined Talian as first-team All-GLIAC picks while sophomore Jason Cole (Rockford) garnered second-team laurels for the second consecutive season. Nine student-athletes were named to both the first and second-team squads.
A three-time (2000-01 and 2003) first-team all-conference selection, Talian has compiled a 24-3 overall singles mark and a 22-7 doubles record to date this campaign at the number one flights. The 2001 FSU Most Valuable Player Award winner claimed the 2002 Omni Hotels/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Great Lakes Region Singles Championship (9/29) and finished league regular-season singles action at 7-0. The two-time (2000-01) ITA Division II Singles and Doubles All-America performer also teamed with Cole to win the regional doubles crown and place second overall in the Division II field at the 2002 Omni Hotels National Small College Championships (10/17-20) in Corpus Christi, Texas. They completed GLIAC regular-season play with an 8-0 record and are ranked 11th in the latest (April 15) Omni Hotels/ITA Division II National Rankings.
Talian, who is currently the region’s top-ranked singles and doubles player, also is 16th in the latest national singles rankings after finishing seventh overall at the National Small College Championships. He presently ranks third in career singles wins (82-19) and second in career doubles victories (99-19) at Ferris State. The 6-1 Talian holds a combined 181-38 (.826) career singles and doubles record to date, which ranks second among the school’s all-time victory and winning percentage leaders.
A three-time (2001-03) first-team all-league choice, the 5-7 Valencia currently is 14-9 in singles play and 19-7 in doubles action at the number two flights this campaign. The region’s eighth-ranked singles player maintains a 40-26 (.606) career singles ledger and a 53-21 (.716) overall doubles mark to date. He is also listed fifth in the regional doubles rankings along with Hoch as a result of recording a 19-7 record this season. The 6-1 Hoch earned first-team All-GLIAC honors for the second straight campaign after finishing league singles play unbeaten (8-0) and attaining an 18-6 overall record at the number three flight. Hoch, who is currently the region’s fifth-ranked singles competitor, holds a 25-15 (.625) career singles record and a 32-14 (.696) doubles mark to date.
Cole currently has registered an 18-6 overall singles record this campaign, including a 17-6 mark at the number four flight. The 6-3 Cole posted a team-best 19-5 doubles record in 2001-02. He presently ranks ninth in both career singles (.750; 33-11) and doubles (.774; 41-12) winning percentage on Ferris’ all-time list.
Ferris State placed second overall at the 2003 GLIAC Tournament under first-year head coach Kevin Brandalik after dropping a 5-1 decision to Northwood in last Saturday’s (April 19) league tourney final at the Midland (Mich.) Community Tennis Center. FSU, which is ranked 26th in the current (April 11) Omni Hotels/ITA Division II National Rankings and listed second in the latest regional poll, advanced to the conference championship match for the fifth consecutive campaign.
The Bulldogs, who are presently 15-7 overall, will conclude the 2002-03 regular-season campaign with a non-conference match this Tuesday (April 22) at Kalamazoo College. The match is slated for a 3 p.m. (EDT) start.
Official parings and opening-round sites for the 64-team 2003 NCAA Division II Championships will be released by the NCAA this Thursday (April 24) with the top two teams in each region playing host to first and second-round tournament action. Ferris has advanced to the NCAA-II Tournament five consecutive seasons to date.
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