Spartans to Start November at ITA Fall Nationals, B1G Indoors Championships

EAST LANSING, MICH. – Select Spartans will be playing between two tournaments to conclude the 2023 fall collegiate season, beginning with a historic appearance at the ITA Fall National Championships in San Diego, Calif. from Nov. 1-5 ahead of the Big Ten Indoors from Nov. 3-5 in Madison, Wis.

Sophomore Ozan Baris is once again making history as he became the first athlete in program history to earn entry into the ITA Fall National Championships singles competition. Baris will also be playing for a fall national championship title alongside junior Max Sheldon. The duo, who are currently ranked No. 2 in the ITA’s preseason doubles rankings and were selected as ITA All-Americans following the last spring season, are the second MSU doubles team ever to earn entry into the ITA Fall National Championships since the Spartan pairing of Francisco Trinidad and Ken Kigongo in1998. 

Baris, ITA’s No. 25 singles player, has put together a strong fall with several wins over top-10 opponents and a singles title at the Battle in the Bay. The Okemos, Mich. native is one of the favorites among the draw of 32 of the nation’s best competitors in teh singles competition. 

Meanwhile at Wisconsin’s Nielsen Tennis Stadium, seniors Graydon Lair, Luke Baylis, Reed Crocker and junior Josh Portnoy will be competing at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. The three day tournament will be a chance for the upperclassmen to lead the Spartans to a positive end to what has been a very successful and historic fall season for Michigan State Men’s Tennis. 

While the Spartans’ fall collegiate season may be over following the conclusion of the two tournaments, Michigan State Men’s Tennis is set to host a professional tournament, the ITF M15 East Lansing, also known as the Capital City Tennis Classic, at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center from Sunday, Nov. 12-19. Admission is free for all spectators throughout the course of the tournament while several Spartans will be competing.