TEMPE, Ariz. – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association released preseason rankings for the 2018-19 season with two Utes landing in the top-125 in singles and the pairing of
Russell Benkaim and
Randy Cory notching the No. 56 spot in doubles.
Senior
Dan Little is ranked No. 65 in the ITA singles preseason rankings, his second straight season being ranked in the top-125. Senior
David Micevski came in at No. 124 in the preseason list.
Little played at the No. 1 position last season, earning Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention. He finished the season as Utah's highest ranked singles player (No. 2 in the region, No. 80 nationally) after coming away with eight wins over nationally ranked opponents in 2017-18.
Micevski won 15 dual matches in singles play last season, including starting the year on a five-match winning streak. He had multiple wins over top-100 opponents, including over No. 63 Nicolas Moreno de Alboran of UC Santa Barbara.
The duo of Benkaim and Cory were a force to be reckoned with in doubles play last season, coming away with 13 dual wins that featured a 10-match win streak. They knocked off the No. 30 team of Tom Fawcett and Axel Geller of Stanford along with several doubles teams from top-80 programs across the country including No. 50 Utah State, No. 71 Wichita, No. 33 Harvard, No. 51 Washington and No. 58 Arizona.
The Utes get underway with fall action on Oct. 15 when they head to the ITA Regionals in Las Vegas, Nev. The tournament runs Oct. 15-19.
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