Senior Marc Bruche was named the Big Ten men’s tennis Co-Athlete of the Week on Thursday.
The native of Germany is the first Hawkeye men’s tennis player in more than seven years to receive the honor. The last such Iowa player was Sebastian Delgado on Feb. 26, 2004.
Bruche won three matches in a row in the qualifying stage of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championships to become the first men’s tennis player in school history to advance to the tournament’s main draw. Bruche defeated two ranked players in the qualifying stage.
Bruche played his fourth singles match of the championships in Tulsa, Okla., on Thursday, and finally fell to UCLA’s Marcos Giron. The nation’s No. 4-ranked newcomer defeated Bruche (6-2, 6-2).
Including Bruche’s 3-1 record, the Black and Gold went 8-5 in singles play in the tournament. The Hawkeyes’ next events will come the weekend of Oct. 20, with the Tennis Association Central Regionals in Tulsa — held on the same courts as the All-American — and the Northwestern Invitational in Evanston, Ill.
— by Ryan Murphy