INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The Elon Phoenix men's tennis team will be represented in both singles and doubles competition in the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships.  In singles play, senior Damon Gooch earned the SoCon's automatic qualifying spot as he is the league's highest-ranked player while the team of Gooch and Philip Nemec claimed the SoCon's automatic spot as the highest-rated doubles team in the league.  The berths are the first-ever for Elon into the NCAA's individual and doubles tournaments.

Gooch, ranked 82nd in the nation, was one of 64 singles players selected and one of just 16 automatic qualifiers.  He will be the lone representative of the Southern Conference after having posted an 18-8 ledger at number one singles during the spring.  

The 34th-ranked Gooch and Nemec duo was one of just 32 doubles teams included in the tournament and one of just 15 automatic qualifiers.  They will be the only SoCon representative after they went 22-5 as Elon's top doubles team this spring.

"This is a tremendous achievement both for Damon and Philip as well as Elon," stated Phoenix head coach Michael Leonard.  "For them to be the first player's from Elon to do this is truly special."

The singles and doubles competition will be conducted May 20-25 at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas, following the conclusion of the team championship (May 14-19).  Texas A&M University will serve as the host institution.

Pairings for both draws will be announced later.

All matches shall be the best of three sets.  Regular scoring and a 12-point tiebreaker at six games will be used for all matches.