NO. 1 PLAYER: Michael Okada is Pacific's first All-NWC men's tennis selection in a decade. Kamie Oda photo.
Okada Selected To All-NWC Men's Tennis Squad
The junior and Pacific's No. 1 singles player is the first Boxer named to the All-NWC Men's Tennis team since Logan Williams in 2000
FOREST GROVE – For the first time in 10 years, Pacific has had a player named to the All-Northwest Conference Men’s Tennis Team as Michael Okada (Jr., Hilo, Hawaii) has been elected to the 2010 All-NWC Men’s Tennis Second Team.
The all-star team, voted upon by the conference’s coaches, was announced at the conclusion of the NWC Championship Tournament on Saturday. Okada is the first Pacific player named to the All-NWC Men’s Tennis Team since Logan Williams was elected to the first team in 2000.
“Michael has been the foundation of the Boxer tennis program for the last three years and is well-deserving of this recognition,” said Pacific Head Coach Brian Jackson. “Michael has had to play the opposition’s beat players match-in and match-out and has set the standard that all those in our program hope to achieve in terms of effort and professionalism. The award is a sign that the conference’s coaches not only have gained a great deal of respect for Michael, but of the Pacific program as a whole.”
For the third straight season, Okada played in the Boxers’ No. 1 singles position, finishing with a 5-12 overall mark and a 4-11 record against NWC opponents. Okada played some of his best tennis late in the season, capped by a three-set victory over George Fox’s Juan Muñoz on Apr. 10. Okada also has a critical 6-3, 6-4 victory over Puget Sound’s Sam Finkleman on Apr. 9, helping to keep Pacific in contention for a spot in the NWC Tournament.
Okada also compiled a 4-11 record in doubles, playing 10 matches at the No. 2 flight and five matches at No. 1. He played the final seven matches of the year with Eric Furuya (So., Portland, Ore.), which included key victories over Puget Sound on Apr. 9 and George Fox on Apr. 10.
Okada helped lead Pacific to a 6-12 overall record and a 5-11 mark in NWC matches. The Boxers tied for sixth in the NWC with Puget Sound, losing a tie-breaker for advancement to the NWC Tournament based on number of games won between the two teams.
To view the complete All-Northwest Conference Men's Tennis Team, Click Here.
Posted by Blake Timm (timmbr@pacificu.edu) on Apr 22, 2010 at 10:03 AM
