May 2, 2012

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Senior Ashley Watling and junior Clifford Marsland have both been selected to the NCAA individual tennis championships, the selection committee announced today.

Watling will compete in the 64-person NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Singles Championship, and he and Marsland will participate in the 32-team NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Doubles Championship. Both tournaments will be held May 22-27 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.

The individuals and doubles teams from each conference who are ranked the highest in the latest ITA National Rankings all received automatic berths into the field.

Watling is the highest-ranked Conference USA singles player at No. 85 in the nation, and Watling and Marsland comprise the No. 10-ranked doubles team, by far the highest in the league.

"Right now I'm focused on helping my team get to the Round of 16 for the second-straight year, but I'm very lucky to have been given this opportunity," Watling said. "This will be a great way to end my career. They can't quite get rid of me yet."

Watling will be making his third-straight appearance in the doubles championship, and he will also be competing in his second singles tournament.

He competed in both tournaments in 2010, advancing to the Round of 32 in both events. He teamed with Marsland at last year's doubles tournament and advanced to the Round of 16.

The duo will be looking to win one more match in the championship this season, which would earn them All-American status. Watling would also earn All-American status in the singles field if he is one of the final 16 individuals standing.

This is the fifth-straight year a Tulsa doubles team has qualified for the tournament, and the seventh-consecutive season a Tulsa athlete will participate in the singles championship.

The Tulsa men will compete in the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship against No. 36 Minnesota at 11 a.m. May 11 in Norman, Okla.