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Sunday, May 05, 2002

As Val Wilder gets older, he seems to be getting better. Wilder, who turns 43 later this month, will attempt to become the first player to win three consecutive singles titles in the National Men's 40s Indoor Championships at the Oxford Athletic Club in Monroeville.

The tournament will be May 17-22, with championships in singles and doubles.

Wilder, the top seed, defeated unseeded Tom Mastromarino last year in the final, 6-3, 6-2.

"You just have to keep pushing to maintain this level," said Wilder, a teaching pro from Euless, Texas. "You can't be complacent. Maybe I've raised the bar a little for the other guys."

Craig Perry, whose third-place finish last year in his first appearance was the best showing ever in singles for a district player, is expected to be in the field.

For the second consecutive year, the tournament and the week of special events, including a silent auction and a pro-am, will benefit the Mario Lemieux Foundation. The primary sponsors will again be Dollar Bank and UPMC Sports Medicine.

Campus courts

Matt Rogers, a freshman from Fox Chapel, plays No. 5 singles for Mary Washington College (Md.), which is ranked 10th as it enters the NCAA Division III team championship this weekend. Rogers is 18-6 in singles, with three of the losses against Division I opponents.

"We knew he had the background to have the potential to contribute right away," Coach Todd Helbling said. "We expected him to help us. He's had a great year."

Helbling said the team will be strengthened next season by the addition of transfer Mike Durkin, a sophomore-to-be from Hampton High School who attended Virginia Tech this year but didn't play tennis.

Mercyhurst's John Nicholsa graduate of Mt. Lebanon High School, is the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference freshman of the year. He had a 16-8 record at No. 1 singles.

Penn State senior Jamie Gresh, who plays No. 1 singles and is 62nd in the nation in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, is All-Big Ten for the second consecutive year. He hopes to receive an invitation to make a return trip to the NCAA Division I championships.

Duquesne's Alina Klinova, a sophomore from Moscow, is an All-Atlantic 10 selection for the second consecutive year. She had a spring and fall record of 28-21 playing No. 1 and No. 2 singles and doubles.

Marshall's Jessica Johnson, a freshman from Sewickley who was home schooled, is the Mid-American Conference Newcomer of the Year. Johnson plays No. 1 singles and Alice Sukner (Allderdice) No. 3 singles for Marshall, which faces Tennessee Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Division I tournament.

Still going strong

The 82nd Edgewood Invitational, one of the district's oldest and most prestigious money tournaments in the area, is scheduled to start tomorrow and conclude Sunday at the Edgewood Club.

Tom Mercerof Mt. Lebanon, won the singles title last year with a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Adam Baranowski of Toronto. Mercer was down, 4-0, in the first set and 3-0 in the second set.

The Mercer brothers, Tom and Ron, won the doubles with a 6-0, 6-0 victory against Trenton Goerk and Evan Schemer in the final.

What's happening

Pittsburgh Citiparks Tennis Academy and the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Tennis Association will host a teaching certification workshop conducted by the Professional Tennis Registry at the Schenley Park Tennis Center Saturday and next Sunday. For more information, call 1-800-421-6289.

There will be a one-hour clinic at Settlers' Cabin every Monday at 7:30 p.m. for adults who are either beginners or returning to the sport after a long absence. For more information, call Tom Fleming at 412-787-2824.

Check it out

Everything you always wanted to know about the USTA's Allegheny Mountain District can be found on its Web site: http://www.ustaamd.com. Tournament schedules and results, age-group rankings, individual player records and links to other sections will be updated weekly.