The Wittenberg men’s and women’s tennis teams both enjoyed one of their finest seasons in recent history in 2000-01.

Both teams had winning North Coast Athletic Conference records, earning overall marks of 16-6 and 14-9, respectively, thirdplace finishes in the NCAC tournament, and no losing records among players with more than six matches played — singles or doubles.

Behind senior No. 1 singles and doubles player Bryan Heft, the men finished third in the NCAC en route to a final record of 16-6.

The first Wittenberg player to make All-NCAC four straight years, Heft put together a 22-5 record at No. 1 singles in 2001, and he capped his career with an invitation to the NCAA Division III Singles Championship.

Heft, who went 61-27 in his Wittenberg career, was the first Tiger player to earn an invitation to an NCAA championship tournament in more than a decade, and he just missed making even more history as he lost a tough, three-set match in the first round.

After Heft, the team’s best singles record was posted by sophomore Mike Herzog, who went 17-3 and 4-0 in the NCAC at No. 5 singles and now has a 31-6 collegiate singles record in two seasons.

Sophomore Casey Clagett was 14-9 at No. 2 singles; sophomore Eric Cusick went 15-6 and a perfect 4-0 in the NCAC at No. 3; freshman Duby Lakos went 12-6 at No. 4, and sophomore Ben Hodgkiss-Lilly put together a 15-4 mark at No. 6. Heft, Clagett and Cusick earned all-conference recognition.

Led by sophomore All-NCAC selections Erin Beach and Shannon Oliphant, the women put together a 14-9 overall record and third-place finish in the NCAC.

After placing fifth in the regular season conference standings with a 4-3 record, the Tigers came on strong in the tournament to finish third, the team’s best showing since a third place finish in 1990.

Beach went 17- 8 at No. 1 singles, while Oliphant went 17- 7 overall and 6-1 in the NCAC. Junior Melanie Wight had records of 15-9 and a team best 7-1 in the NCAC at No. 3 singles.