University of Southern Indiana men’s tennis sophomore James Hardiman (Backwell Bristol, United Kingdom) has climbed his way to the 23rd-ranked singles player in the Oracle/ITA Division II Men’s Collegiate Tennis poll, moving up 20 spots from his preseason ranking. The Screaming Eagles also held steady at No. 34 as a team.
For the season, Hardiman is 19-5 in singles, including 14-2 in duals this spring and 11-2 at number one. He is also 13-3 with partner freshman Denis Davydov (Chorvatsky Grob, Slovakia) in doubles play.
Davydov has made an impact as a freshman, as he is 15-8 overall on the year, primarily at number two singles. Senior Aaron Barris (Marietta, Georgia) sits at 13-9 overall, and sophomore Ilia Karelin (Ekaterinburg, Russia) is 11-6.
The Eagles are currently 12-6, with a 5-1 mark in-region. They host No. 36 Grand Valley State at 10 a.m. Friday at the USI Tennis Courts before beginning GLVC play Saturday at Illinois Springfield.
