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The men's tennis program at Marquette University has encountered a tremendous amount of success on the court and in the classroom under head coach Steve Rodecap, who is entering his seventh campaign with the team in 2009-10. Rodecap has guided the program through its transition to the BIG EAST Conference, which includes overall winning campaigns in each of the last four years. The Golden Eagles posted 17 victories for the second-straight year in 2008-09 and a pair of players claimed all-league accolades. In the classroom, men's tennis was one of four programs at MU honored in 2009 for top academic performance as part of the NCAA's academic reform program. Marquette finished 17-7 overall in 2007-08, claiming fifth-place at the BIG EAST Championship for the second-straight year. The Golden Eagles posted their second-straight winning season in 2006-07 and earned a fifth-place finish at the BIG EAST Conference Championships. Six members of the squad were named BIG EAST Academic All-Stars after completing the year with a grade-point-average of 3.0-or-better. MU posted an overall record of 14-8 that season, which included a pair of victories over DePaul and Georgetown in the conference championship. In 2005-06, Rodecap led a young squad and finished the year above .500 for the first time at MU, with a 16-9 record. Peaking at the end of the season, Marquette advanced to the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tournament, finishing fourth. The Golden Eagles reached double figures in wins in each of their first two seasons (2003-04 and 2004-05) under Rodecap. Rodecap has been involved in youth tennis during his tenure at MU, serving as the coach for the state's Junior Davis Cup Team for each of the last four years. Rodecap joined the Marquette program after a successful four-year stint as the head coach at Northern Illinois. In 2001-02, Rodecap guided the program to a runner-up finish at the Mid-American Conference Tournament and an overall record of 16-10. The 16 wins were the most for the NIU men's tennis program since the 1996-97 squad finished the season 18-6. Newcomers in three of the top four singles spots in 2000-01 helped Rodecap lead NIU to a 14-11 overall mark, doubling the win total of the previous season. One season older and more experienced, the Huskies continued their improvement in the 1999-2000 season with a 13-10 standard. Under Rodecap's tutelage, the Huskies placed four players on the All-Mid American Conference team, including Raymond VanWasbeek, who earned three consecutive first team berths. In addition to its success on the court, the NIU tennis team fashioned an impressive 3.48 team GPA in his last season and placed two players on the Academic All-MAC Team. Rodecap finished his four year stint at Northern Illinois with a 50-46 record. Prior to his tenure at NIU, Rodecap served as an assistant coach at Texas Christian University for the 1998-99 campaign. The Horned Frogs posted a 14-6 record for coach Michael Center that season while advancing to the second round of the NCAA Regional Championships, due in large part to the efforts of singles ace Esteban Carril. Rodecap's efforts helped the Horned Frog standout win the 1998 clay court championships and advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships while earning All-America accolades. Following his playing days, Rodecap remained at Ball State as a graduate assistant for coach Bill Richards. Over the next two seasons BSU won two more conference titles (1996-97, 1997-98). A standout player in his own right at Ball State University from 1992-96, Rodecap helped BSU to a trio of Mid-American Conference Championships (1992-93, 1993-94, 1994-95) during his playing days. The Anderson, Ind., native received his Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from Ball State in 1996. Rodecap and his wife, Emily, have two children: Patrick and Missouri. |
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