Fayetteville, N.C. - The 2013-14 season serves as the 50th for the USA South Athletic Conference. In an effort to relive 50 Years of great student-athlete performances, each current league institution was given the opportunity to submit names of student-athletes who competed within the Conference and excelled not only on their campuses, but in the Conference as a whole. The league has continued its recognition of these teams with the sport of men's tennis, and N.C. Wesleyan is proud to have placed 12 Bishop players on the squad.

The sport of men's tennis is one of the original conference-sponsored sports. The first regular season championship was awarded in 1964, and in 2006, the first conference tournament was conducted. During the 50-year history of men's tennis, nine different institutions have claimed regular season league titles. Recently, N.C. Wesleyan has taken the torch and earned the past five regular season and tournament championships. Individually, student-athletes from several institutions have fared well on the national stage by earning All-American status, including five Battling Bishops.

Below are the names and a brief summary of accolades for those Battling Bishops named to the 50th Anniversary Team. On behalf of the Department of Athletics, we congratulate each of these men on this noteworthy recognition.

• Chappy Wake (3-time Dixie Champion, MVP, NCWC Hall of Famer)
• Mike Fillietaz (2-time Dixie Champion, MVP, coached team to pair of Dixie Titles)
• Martin Saunders (2-time Dixie Champion, #1 DIAC Doubles Title w/ Fillietaz, MVP)
• Mike Long (3-time Dixie Champion, MVP of '73 championship team)
• Dan Weber (3-time Dixie Champion, 2-time MVP, MVP of '75 championship team)
• Terry Jones (3-time Dixie Champion, MVP of '76 championship team)
• Vernon Bradley (#1 DIAC Singles Title, program's first 3-time MVP, NCWC Hall of Famer)
• Barry Nethercutt (All-Conference, MVP, over 600 NCHSAA coaching wins at RMHS)
• Antti Saari (4-Time All-Conference, 3-time All-Tourney, '08 USAS ROY & '09 POY, 2-time MVP)
• Alexey Rumyantsev (All-American, 4-time All-Conference, 2-time All-Tourney, 2-time MVP)
• Fred Lemongo (4-time All-Conference, 3-time All-Tourney)
• Artsiom Prostak (All-American, 2-time All-Conference, All-Tourney, '13 USAS POY)

To view the complete USA South 50th Anniversary Team in men's tennis, please click HERE!

To view more ways the USA South is celebrating its 50th Anniversary, please click HERE!