TWO FERRIS MEN'S TENNIS PLAYERS CLAIM ALL-AMERICA ACCOLADES

Freshman Brenton Bacon & Senior Mark Hammelman Named To ITA Squad

Mark Hammelman	Brenton Bacon

The 33-member team recognizes players who finished among the top 20 singles competitors or the top 10 doubles tandems in the final (May 24) Fila Division II National Rankings. Bacon was honored in both the singles and doubles categories this season while Hammelman attained recognition for his doubles play. The duo finished third in final national doubles rankings while Bacon was listed 14th nationally in singles action.

Bacon and Hammelman compiled a 30-3 overall doubles record this year, including a 22-2 mark in dual matches at the top doubles spot and a perfect 7-0 ledger in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) regular-season action. The duo was the region's top-ranked tandem in this year's final Great Lakes Regional listing. Bacon and Hammelman's 30 doubles wins this year tied for the third-most single-season doubles victories in school history.

Bacon, who was honored as the ITA's National Rookie Player of the Year this campaign, earned 2006 All-GLIAC First Team kudos. He also received the ITA’s 2006 Great Lakes Region Rookie Player of the Year Award honor along with being recognized as the GLIAC Freshman of the Year.

The 6-0 Bacon posted a team-best 18-5 overall singles mark this campaign, including a 9-4 mark at the number one flight in dual match competition during his initial Bulldog campaign. He reached the singles quarterfinal round and advanced to the doubles semifinals at the ITA Great Lakes Region Championships held last fall (Sept. 23-25) in Midland, Mich. Bacon claimed top individual flight championships in both the Bulldog Team Invitational (Sept. 17-18) and the Chicago State "Windy City" Fall Invitational (Sept. 30-Oct. 2) held earlier this year.

This spring, Bacon recorded a 4-3 overall record against individuals ranked regionally while posting a 2-3 mark against individuals featured in the national singles rankings. He was the region's third-ranked singles player in the final rankings.

Hammelman, who claimed FSU's 2002-03 Player To Watch Award, posted a 17-13 overall singles mark this season including a 6-1 record at the number one singles spot. The 2006 All-GLIAC First Team pick was 5-2 in league singles play this year. He concluded his four-year Bulldog career with a 67-38 career singles record and a 72-41 doubles mark. Hammelman was an All-GLIAC Honorable Mention honoree in 2003-04 before attaining second-team laurels during the 2004-05 campaign. The 6-0 Hammelman was also listed 12th in this year's final Great Lakes Regional Singles Rankings.

Bacon and Hammelman are the first Bulldog men's tennis players to earn All-America kudos since former standout Jan Talian claimed singles recognition following the 2002-03 campaign. In addition, they are among only 11 FSU men's tennis players to have received All-America accolades in their careers at Ferris State.

The Bulldog men’s tennis team advanced to the NCAA-II Tournament for the ninth-straight year and 12th time in school history during the 2005-06 campaign under outgoing head coach Dave Ramos. Ferris State, which was ranked 33rd in the final Fila Division II Collegiate National Rankings, placed second overall at the GLIAC Tournament this season. The Bulldogs recorded a 16-8 overall record, including a second-place 6-1 mark in league action.

As the governing body of collegiate tennis, the ITA promotes both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which was founded in 1956 and is based in Skillman, N.J., administers numerous regional and national championships, the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit, presented by the United States Tennis Association, and the Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings for men’s and women’s tennis at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and junior college levels. The ITA also has a comprehensive awards program for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership and sportsmanship.

Please visit the ITA website at the link below for a complete list of award recipients:
http://www.itatennis.com/