FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (February 6, 2019) – The Northern Arizona men's tennis team's
Tim Handel and
Ruben Montano earn a national ranking of No. 27 in the Oracle/ITA Division I Men's Rankings.
The NAU duo had an impressive fall as they were able to have a marquee win over the then-ranked No. 35 doubles team in the country Kareem Allaf and Lonas Jarsen of Iowa. The highlight of the fall for the tandem of Handel and Montano was winning the ITA Mountain Regionals. The tournament win allowed Handel and Montano to play in the ITA National Fall Championship, which was made up of the top 32 teams in the country. Although going 0-2 in the tournament, the Northern Arizona pair showed well as they went toe-to-toe with the No. 12 team in the country, losing in two sets 7-5 and 7-5.
Since entering the spring, the pair has continued to put together an impressive resume as they are currently 2-0 on the season. Handel and Montano's first win came against Eleftherios Neos and Tom Hann of Portland by a score of 6-3. The Lumberjacks pair's second win came against Russell Benkaim and Joe Wolley of Utah by a score of 6-4.
Handel and Montano will be back in action this Sunday, Feb.11 against San Diego State University.
