'68 NCAA Team to be Honored on Saturday
11/1/2018 3:35:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Rice Men's Tennis will commemorate one of its most memorable seasons in history on Saturday when members of the 1968 team, which finished second at the NCAA Championship, are recognized during the Rice-UTEP football game on Saturday as part of Rice's 99th Homecoming and Reunion Weekend.
Their recognition will take place during the second timeout of the first quarter of Saturday's game.
The 1968 Owls, led by legendary head coach Sammy Giammalva, were a force to be reckoned with thanks to "a happy combination of circumstances" according to the 1968 media guide and delivered on their promise, pushing a USC team led by future professional standouts Stan Smith and Bob Lutz to the limit. Southern Cal took the national title with 29 points, while Rice edged UCLA out for second with 23 points.
The Owls' expectations were fueled by a strong returning lineup in 1968, featuring senior Butch Seewagen, who was the defending Southwest Conference singles and doubles champion. Mike Hamilton, who combined with Seewagen to win the SWC doubles title, also returned as did 1966 NCAA singles quarterfinalist John Pickens, who was granted a rare fifth year of eligibility after spending the previous year on a special tour of Southeast Asia sponsored by the State Department. Another veteran was added to the mix when 1963 SWC doubles champion Fritz Schnuck returned to school after completing a four-year stint in the Air Force.
That formidable lineup was bolstered by the addition of two standout freshmen in Mike Estep and Zan Guerry, who would benefit from a new NCAA rule allowing freshmen to play on the varsity level for the first time. Tico Carrero, who had been a standout on the freshman level the previous year, filled out the lineup as did Bob Olberg, who had been the third player in the lineup in 1967.
After capturing the Southwest Conference title, the Owls rolled on to San Antonio's Trinity University where the NCAA Championship would be held for the first time.
Three Owls (Pickens 11th , Estep 17th and Guerry 20th) were seeded in singles and each won their opening matches, but Seewagen, who earned his way into the main draw with a win the qualifying round, stormed all the way to the quarterfinals with four wins to provide valuable points.
In doubles, the freshman duo of Estep and Guerry followed Seewagen's script and went one better, winning an opening match and then advancing to the semifinals before falling to Smith and Lutz. Pickens and Seewagen nearly matched them, advancing to the quarterfinals.
It marked the second time in school history the Owls had finished second at a NCAA team championship, matching the effort of the 1947 men's tennis team.
Two years later, Estep, Guerry and Carrero would match their first NCAA performance by finishing second at the 1970 NCAA Championship. The three second place finishes by men's tennis in 1947, 1968 and 1970 remained Rice's top finish at a NCAA team championship event until 2003 when the Owls baseball team captured the College World Series title in Omaha.
Estep, Giammalva and Guerry went on to be inducted into the ITA Men's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame and Seewagen was inducted into the Rice Athletics Hall of Fame.
Their recognition will take place during the second timeout of the first quarter of Saturday's game.
The 1968 Owls, led by legendary head coach Sammy Giammalva, were a force to be reckoned with thanks to "a happy combination of circumstances" according to the 1968 media guide and delivered on their promise, pushing a USC team led by future professional standouts Stan Smith and Bob Lutz to the limit. Southern Cal took the national title with 29 points, while Rice edged UCLA out for second with 23 points.
The Owls' expectations were fueled by a strong returning lineup in 1968, featuring senior Butch Seewagen, who was the defending Southwest Conference singles and doubles champion. Mike Hamilton, who combined with Seewagen to win the SWC doubles title, also returned as did 1966 NCAA singles quarterfinalist John Pickens, who was granted a rare fifth year of eligibility after spending the previous year on a special tour of Southeast Asia sponsored by the State Department. Another veteran was added to the mix when 1963 SWC doubles champion Fritz Schnuck returned to school after completing a four-year stint in the Air Force.
That formidable lineup was bolstered by the addition of two standout freshmen in Mike Estep and Zan Guerry, who would benefit from a new NCAA rule allowing freshmen to play on the varsity level for the first time. Tico Carrero, who had been a standout on the freshman level the previous year, filled out the lineup as did Bob Olberg, who had been the third player in the lineup in 1967.
After capturing the Southwest Conference title, the Owls rolled on to San Antonio's Trinity University where the NCAA Championship would be held for the first time.
Three Owls (Pickens 11th , Estep 17th and Guerry 20th) were seeded in singles and each won their opening matches, but Seewagen, who earned his way into the main draw with a win the qualifying round, stormed all the way to the quarterfinals with four wins to provide valuable points.
In doubles, the freshman duo of Estep and Guerry followed Seewagen's script and went one better, winning an opening match and then advancing to the semifinals before falling to Smith and Lutz. Pickens and Seewagen nearly matched them, advancing to the quarterfinals.
It marked the second time in school history the Owls had finished second at a NCAA team championship, matching the effort of the 1947 men's tennis team.
Two years later, Estep, Guerry and Carrero would match their first NCAA performance by finishing second at the 1970 NCAA Championship. The three second place finishes by men's tennis in 1947, 1968 and 1970 remained Rice's top finish at a NCAA team championship event until 2003 when the Owls baseball team captured the College World Series title in Omaha.
Estep, Giammalva and Guerry went on to be inducted into the ITA Men's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame and Seewagen was inducted into the Rice Athletics Hall of Fame.
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