The Bethany Swede Men's Tennis program had a very successful 2012 season with a high national ranking of #14 in the country which we held most of the year.  The regular season was highlighted by wins over Division 1 Prairie View A&M (6-1 score), #41 ranked D2 Metro State(8-1 score), and #19 Olivet Nazarene (6-3 score) at the national tournament.

Our team showed our depth during the year, fighting through injuries at key times. Depth is what has separated our team in the past, and we haven't had a year with so many even players who pushed each other all year to get better, with our inter squad matches often being more competitive than our regular season matches.

The 2012-2013 season brings back almost all of our top players on the men's side and five new freshman. We are looking at our toughest and busiest schedule yet, including three D1 matches and many top 20 D2 and NAIA matches. We will also be playing as many as 17-18 players during the season in varsity action to give everyone the chance to prove themselves. The Swede goals for the year are improving month by month, cracking the NAIA top 10 nationally in the polls and having a team GPA over 3.0 as we did last year.  Marcelo Alecio and Kane Olsen are the defending regional ITA Doubles Champions and ranked in the top 10 in the country, and Shane Huggins looks to break both the singles and doubles career wins records this year.  James Bragg, Michiel Van Den Bogaert, Alex Sandri, and Will Wiseman return with not only talent but also leadership to help guide the team.

The women had a challenging year with a tough out-of-conference schedule with three freshman in the top six.  We showed we have a lot of work to do to get back on top of the conference that we have won five of the last nine times and hope we can commit totally to the work it takes to do so.

We add five new freshman and one junior college transfer. We are excited about all our new editions as they will add the excitement and desire we need to improve our level.  Our women's schedule will also be very strong out-of-conference as we hope to test ourselves during the year before our conference season starts. Our goals for the women are winning the conference and being an academic All-American team for the sixth time in eight years. Captain Monica Chapman and KJ Hansen lead the new players as we look forward to a great season on the court and in the classroom.

The Swedes could not excel as they have without the support of John Bellah, Smoky Valley High School tennis, and the use their tennis facilities and of Dr. Deturk and the use of The Pines indoor facility in Salina.

With over 40 students on campus, tennis is a big part of the campus life here, and we will do our part in making Bethany a better place for everyone. Good luck to all sports, students, staff and faculty this year as we strive for success on and off the court.