May 24, 2006

STANFORD, Calif. - San Diego State's 13th-ranked doubles team of senior Benedikt Stronk (Berlin, Germany) and junior Markus Dickhardt (Marburg, Germany) will begin their quest for a national title on Thursday when they compete in the first round of the NCAA Doubles Championships. The Aztec duo will battle Alex Seleznev and Harel Srugo of Old Dominion University in their opening match at Taube Tennis Center on the campus of Stanford University, starting at 10 a.m.

Stronk and Dickhardt compiled a 14-4 record during the 2006 campaign, including a 5-0 mark against ranked opponents. The pair scored a major upset on April 8 when they defeated then-No. 1 Scott Doerner and Andre Begeman of Pepperdine, 8-3, at Aztec Tennis Center. Following the season, Stronk and Dickhardt were selected to both the all-Mountain West Conference doubles and singles teams.

Seleznev and Srugo, meanwhile, enter the tournament ranked 43rd in the nation on the strength of an 18-3 record.

The last time SDSU had a doubles tandem included in the 32-team field was 2003 when Oliver Maiberger and Ryan Redondo reached the championship finals, before falling to Illinois' Rajeev Ram and Brian Wilson in three sets, 6-4, 5-7, 6-1, in Athens, Ga.