Oct. 27, 2016
By Joanne Norell
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – For the 12th straight time, the University of Notre Dame men’s tennis team will send representatives to an ITA grand slam event, as seniors Josh Hagar and Eddy Covalschi have been selected to compete in doubles at the 2016 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Doubles Championships.
The Irish duo were selected as an at-large pick to round out the 20-team field, with competition slated for November 3-6 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York. Hagar and Covalschi are 8-2 on the season, having advanced to the quarterfinals of the championships and the semifinals of the ITA Midwest Regional Championships earlier this fall.
It will be the second trip to the National Indoor Championships for Hagar and Covalschi. The pair earned an automatic bid as sophomores in 2014 after winning the ITA Midwest Regional title that fall.
The Irish have had at least one student athlete compete in the main draw of the last 12 ITA grand slam events, which include the All-American Championships, National Indoor Championships and the NCAA individual tournaments. The streak began with the 2013 NCAA Singles Championship when then-junior Greg Andrews advanced to the second round.
Since the streak began, here’s how Notre Dame’s grand slam participation breaks down:
2013
NCAA Singles Championship – Greg Andrews, second round
ITA All-American Singles Championship – Greg Andrews, second round
USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship – Greg Andrews, second round
2014
NCAA Singles Championship – Greg Andrews, second round
NCAA Doubles Championship – Greg Andrews / Alex Lawson, first round
ITA All-American Singles Championship – Quentin Monaghan, second round
ITA All-American Doubles Championship – Alex Lawson / Billy Pecor, quarterfinals
USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Doubles Championship – Alex Lawson / Billy Pecor, quarterfinals; Josh Hagar / Eddy Covalschi, quarterfinals
2015
NCAA Singles Championship – Quentin Monaghan, semifinals
NCAA Doubles Championship – Alex Lawson, Billy Pecor, second round
ITA All-American Singles Championship – Quentin Monaghan, second round
USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Singles Championship – Quentin Monaghan, consolation semifinals
USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Doubles Championship – Alex Lawson / Quentin Monaghan, semifinals
2016
NCAA Singles Championship – Quentin Monaghan, second round
NCAA Doubles Championship – Alex Lawson / Quentin Monaghan, semifinals
ITA All-American Singles Championship – Josh Hagar, consolation quarterfinals
ITA All-American Doubles Championship – Josh Hagar / Eddy Covalschi, quarterfinals
USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Doubles Championship -Josh Hagar / Eddy Covalschi, ???
The 2016 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships will kick off on November 3 and run through November 6 in Flushing, New York.
For the latest on Irish men’s tennis, follow the team on Twitter, @NDMensTennis, or like Notre Dame Men’s Tennis on Facebook.
-ND-
Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2014 and coordinates communications efforts for the Notre Dame women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and fencing programs. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication, and earned her master’s degree in sports industry management from Georgetown University in 2013.