Thursday, May 06, 2010

MACON, Ga. – ETSU’s Charles Bottoni and Stetson’s doubles duo of Valentina Galbarini and Carolina de los Santos received bids to compete in the 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships, the NCAA announced Thursday.

The five-day singles and doubles competition will take place at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. and will be hosted by the University of Georgia. The draw for the 64-singles and 32-doubles teams brackets will be released approximately a week prior to the event.

With an ITA ranking of No. 104, Bottoni earned automatic qualification into the singles championships. Despite playing with an injury during the season, Bottoni finished with an 8-6 overall record and 5-0 tally in A-Sun play. The native of Bois Guillaume, France began spring as the No. 89 ranked player in the nation and his highest ranked wins came against No. 56 Steve Forman of No. 24 Wake Forest and No. 112 Matt Brewer of No. 3 Tennessee. To be eligible for the Division I singles championship, all singles players must rank 125th or higher and have competed in a minimum of 13 completed singles matches.

Galbarini and de los Santos rank 57th in the ITA, and become the first women’s tennis players in school history to receive a bid to NCAA Championship play. De los Santos earned Freshman of the Year honors, in addition to First-Team All-Atlantic Sun accolades after finishing the season at 18-7 overall and 6-4 in A-Sun matches. In doubles play with partner Galbarini, the duo posted an 18-7 mark, and the pair has held a ranking for a majority of the season, including topping out at No. 37. Galbarini finished with a 13-8 overall record and an 8-2 tally in A-Sun matches. To be eligible for the Division I doubles championship, a doubles team must be ranked in the ITA Top 60 and own have competed in a minimum of 10 completed doubles matches.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.