Crane Heading To ITA National Fall Championships
11/4/2019 3:15:00 PM | Men's Tennis
By Jared Rigdon
IUHoosiers.com
Bennett Crane didn't even know he had qualified for the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships in California until IU head coach Jeremy Wurtzman told him.
Crane trailed in the quarter-finals 6-4, 4-1 before coming back to win the match, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4.
His come from behind victory over fourth-seeded Kento Yamada of Kentucky sent him to the semi-finals of the ITA Regional Championships.
His victory over top-seeded Athell Bennett of Purdue in the semi-finals sent him to the finals and secured his bid to California enroute to his runner-up performance at the ITA Regionals.
"It's super exciting," Crane said. "It's been a great fall for a lot of the guys. I'm looking forward to finishing on a strong note."
Crane won six matches on his way to the runner-up performance. A grueling schedule with multiple matches in only a handful of days is one of the intriguing aspects of individual tennis tournaments.
It's one of the unique traits that separates tennis from most collegiate sports. Bouncing back from team matches to individual tournaments can take a toll on an athlete, but Crane embraces the challenge.
"It's much less stressful but I definitely think it brings out a more competitive edge in you because you're just playing for yourself," Crane said. "You have to pull it out of yourself just to realize how important it is."
The ITA National Fall Championships will be the final tournament of the fall season for Crane.
The fall season gives a chance for tennis players to earn reps against different opponents and play a handful of matches to tune up for the spring.
It also gives players like Crane a little added intensity and a chance to grab some momentum before the winter break.
"It's great to get match play in and it's great to get the nerves and jitters out prior to when the season hits," Crane said. "It's just as important as anything else you can do in terms of preparation for the real thing in the spring."
Crane isn't sure if he wants to go on professional tour after he's done at IU. Regardless, when he's done playing tennis, Crane has his eyes set on a future career.
He's an exercise science major and is on the Pre-Physical Therapy track with hopes to go to grad school after graduating from IU.
Academics have always been an important aspect of his time at IU. He was named the October Scholar of the Month in IU athletics this year and has been a stellar student over the past four years.
"I always wanted to stay in the realm of athletics, working with athletes," Crane said. "I wanted to stay involved with athletics and this was one way to do it. I took anatomy and physiology and I really liked them so I decided to stay with it."
IU heads into Crane's senior season as a very experienced group. Its been on the verge of the NCAA tournament the past handful of years.
But Crane is ready to flip that script and take the momentum of his trip to the ITA National Championships and turn it into an NCAA tournament appearance for his senior year.
"Our team is very experienced right now," Crane said. "We have a lot of upperclassmen. We're really excited for this season. We've been really close to the tournament these last three years and I think we're really finding it this fall. I think we can make a long run and get that tournament run we've had as a goal."
IUHoosiers.com
Bennett Crane didn't even know he had qualified for the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships in California until IU head coach Jeremy Wurtzman told him.
Crane trailed in the quarter-finals 6-4, 4-1 before coming back to win the match, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4.
His come from behind victory over fourth-seeded Kento Yamada of Kentucky sent him to the semi-finals of the ITA Regional Championships.
His victory over top-seeded Athell Bennett of Purdue in the semi-finals sent him to the finals and secured his bid to California enroute to his runner-up performance at the ITA Regionals.
"It's super exciting," Crane said. "It's been a great fall for a lot of the guys. I'm looking forward to finishing on a strong note."
Crane won six matches on his way to the runner-up performance. A grueling schedule with multiple matches in only a handful of days is one of the intriguing aspects of individual tennis tournaments.
It's one of the unique traits that separates tennis from most collegiate sports. Bouncing back from team matches to individual tournaments can take a toll on an athlete, but Crane embraces the challenge.
"It's much less stressful but I definitely think it brings out a more competitive edge in you because you're just playing for yourself," Crane said. "You have to pull it out of yourself just to realize how important it is."
The ITA National Fall Championships will be the final tournament of the fall season for Crane.
The fall season gives a chance for tennis players to earn reps against different opponents and play a handful of matches to tune up for the spring.
It also gives players like Crane a little added intensity and a chance to grab some momentum before the winter break.
"It's great to get match play in and it's great to get the nerves and jitters out prior to when the season hits," Crane said. "It's just as important as anything else you can do in terms of preparation for the real thing in the spring."
Crane isn't sure if he wants to go on professional tour after he's done at IU. Regardless, when he's done playing tennis, Crane has his eyes set on a future career.
He's an exercise science major and is on the Pre-Physical Therapy track with hopes to go to grad school after graduating from IU.
Academics have always been an important aspect of his time at IU. He was named the October Scholar of the Month in IU athletics this year and has been a stellar student over the past four years.
"I always wanted to stay in the realm of athletics, working with athletes," Crane said. "I wanted to stay involved with athletics and this was one way to do it. I took anatomy and physiology and I really liked them so I decided to stay with it."
IU heads into Crane's senior season as a very experienced group. Its been on the verge of the NCAA tournament the past handful of years.
But Crane is ready to flip that script and take the momentum of his trip to the ITA National Championships and turn it into an NCAA tournament appearance for his senior year.
"Our team is very experienced right now," Crane said. "We have a lot of upperclassmen. We're really excited for this season. We've been really close to the tournament these last three years and I think we're really finding it this fall. I think we can make a long run and get that tournament run we've had as a goal."
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
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