Auburn Picked to Finish Third in SEC West - AuburnTigers.com - Auburn University Official Athletic Site

Auburn Picked to Finish Third in SEC West The Tigers finished the 2010 season second in the West

Senior Tim Puetz

Jan. 24, 2011

AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn men's tennis team was picked to finish third in the SEC West by the league's head coaches, the conference office announced Monday.

"It is hard to judge where a team will finish at the end of a long season especially in a tough conference like the SEC," head coach Eric Shore said. "There are teams expected to be at the top, but this is a very strong conference. In order to be successful, the entire team will have to step up in order for us to have a solid year."

The 2010-11 squad enters the spring season ranked No. 31 by the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings. The team is comprised of two seniors, one junior, five sophomores and five freshmen. Leading the way is senior Tim Puetz and junior Alex Stamchev. The pair earned All-America honors in doubles at the conclusion of the 2010 season and Puetz reached the semifinals of the 2010 NCAA Men's Singles Tournament to earn All-America honors.

The 2009-10 team concluded the season with a 12-13 overall record and finished second in the SEC West with a 5-6 conference record. The Tigers reached the second round of the 2010 NCAA Championships before falling to SEC rival Florida, 4-0. The team also reached the semifinals of the 2010 SEC Championships.

Tennessee was voted as the overall champion for the second-straight year, while Georgia was picked to finish second in the SEC East. Ole Miss was picked as SEC West champion with Mississippi State in second.

The preseason poll is voted by the respective coaching groups and is based on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 count.

Auburn returns to competition on Saturday, Jan. 29, as the Tigers travel to Lubbock, Texas, for the 2011 National Indoor Qualifier hosted by Texas Tech. Auburn takes on California in the opening round in a 3 p.m. match.