OXFORD, Miss. - It's been a whirlwind year for Ole Miss men's tennis sophomore Nik Scholtz, and this week he's experiencing the thrill of a lifetime.
Scholtz, who began the year as the highest ranked SEC player in the nation at No. 5, is in Montreal, Canada, representing his home country, South Africa, in the Davis Cup. The World Group playoff against Canada begins Friday at the Uniprix Stadium in Montreal.
In 2012, Scholtz became the first Rebel in program history to earn SEC Freshman of the Year honors. In addition, Scholtz was named ITA Southern Region Rookie of the Year and earned All-America honors while helping lead the Rebels to their 16th NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance.
Scholtz's accomplishments in 2012 played a huge role in his selection to the team.
"I found out about two weeks before the Olympics ended. I was told not to speak to media or anyone until after the Olympics when they made the official announcement of who was on the team," Scholtz said.
South Africa and Canada are both vying to earn a spot in the top tier of the Davis Cup. South Africa is bidding for a place in the top tier for the first time since 1998, but they have missed out in the play-offs in each of the last three years.
"Davis Cup is always a 50-50 shot, it's a dogfight," said Scholtz on his country's chances. "The crowd is always more rowdy and conditions are a little different. But I think you always have a chance in Davis Cup."
Scholtz doesn't know yet if he'll actually play this weekend, but nonetheless, he's excited to be part of this experience.
"Obviously it means a lot to be selected among guys that are playing professional tennis full-time," Scholtz said. "I can learn a lot from them since I'm kind of a young gun, the new guy."
"It's exciting for Nik. I know he hopes to play, but just to be part of the team and to represent your country is very special," associate head coach Toby Hansson said. "Also, it's great for Ole Miss to have a player who is representing their country on a big stage. It's a very big deal."
It was exciting news this week as Rebel favorite Tom Luke returned to the Ole Miss football program as Assistant A.D. for Player Development. A second-generation Rebel and the brother of fellow Ole Miss standout and staffer Matt Luke, Tom... read more
A little more than a year into his first term as Ole Miss Athletics Director, Ross Bjork made his first trip to Starkville this week but did so for a good cause. Bjork and Bulldog AD Scott Stricklin joined forces... read more
Despite losing the All-American twin duo of Marcel and Chris Thiemann and playing in the toughest conference in America, Ole Miss finished the 2013 regular season with a ranking of No. 7 in the nation.The regular season was highlighted by... read more
The Rebels' uniform modifications for the 2013 football season were released during the BancorpSouth Grove Bowl. Facebook Photo Gallery Follow me on twitter @CampbellKyle.... read more
Injuries have riddled the Ole Miss football team this spring, and after evaluating the situation this week, the coaching staff determined a full scale scrimmage would not be an option for this year's BancorpSouth Grove Bowl. As a result, the... read more
Former Ole Miss All-Americans and collegiate top-10 doubles duo Kristi Boxx and Abby Guthrie have reunited to compete in the $25,000 USTA St. Dominic Pro Circuit women's event in Jackson. The event, which began Sunday, will run through April 7... read more
Panama Trip Photo GalleryTwo weeks ago, I wrote about a group of six Ole Miss football players who went on a mission trip to Panama over spring break. They have since returned to Oxford and been knee-deep in schoolwork and... read more
Ole Miss' run to the SEC Tournament title and the Big Dance received national coverage for the team and university during the March Madness. Below is just a sampling of mountain of press the Rebels have gotten including a tweet from King... read more
Michaela Quinn, a member of the 2013 Ole Miss track & field signing class, turned in a great performance at the World Junior Cross Country Championships over the weekend.Competing as a member of Team Australia, Quinn placed 25th in the... read more
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Colton Walls, a sophomore linebacker who started his career at Clemson, is among the non-scholarship players to join the Ole Miss football team this spring. Rebel fans will be quite... read more
A long list of ex-Rebels are planning to work out for the NFL scouts at Ole Miss Pro Day on Thursday. Of the 21 former players putting their talents on display, 16 concluded their Rebel careers in the fall, while... read more
It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating a bowl win in Birmingham. Now that that and an historic signing day are in the rear view mirror, it's time to gear up for spring drills. The Rebels take to the... read more
Ryan Smith, a sophomore distance runner on the Ole Miss track & field team, will be a sports trivia contestant on an upcoming segment of ESPNU's late-night entertainment show, UNITE.The episode of UNITE airs late Wednesday night at 1 a.m.... read more
The much anticipated list of walk out songs is here. Click on the song to hear it. Viewer discretion advised. Songs played in venue will be edited. My personal favorite has to be Mistone's with the Latin flavor. #1 Preston... read more
Olympic gold medalist and former Ole Miss star Brittney Reese will be among the headliner athletes at this weekend's Millrose Games indoor meet in New York City.Reese, who won gold in the long jump at the 2012 London Olympics, is... read more
