Sept. 21, 1999

Notre Dame senior All-American men?s tennis player Ryan Sachire has been named the top seed of the 64-player draw of the T. Rowe Price National Intercollegiate Clay Court Championships, the opening leg of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association collegiate grand slam. Junior All-American women?s tennis player Michelle Dasso has been seeded second in the women?s draw. The championship, college tennis? premier clay court tournament, will be held from Sept. 23-26, at the Suburban Club of Baltimore County. The draws will be announced Wed., Sept. 22.

Sachire, the preseason second-ranked player in the country, is the first Irish men?s tennis player to earn a No. 1 seed at a grand slam event since David DiLucia was the top seed of the 1992 NCAA championships. Dasso?s seeding is the highest ever for an Irish women?s tennis in a grand slam event. Sachire reached the second round at the 1998 T. Rowe Price National Intercollegiate Clay Court Championships as the fourth seed, while Dasso advanced to the quarterfinals as the sixth seed.