ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell men's tennis team has shot up to 24th in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, giving the Big Red what is believe to be its highest national standing in the history of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The Big Red is 7-1 in dual matches, coming off an exhilarating ECAC Men's Indoor Tennis Championship at Reis Tennis Center.
 
“I am very excited for our guys and that their work is reflected in the rankings. We have a great group of players that are ready to do whatever it takes to help each other,” said Silviu Tanasoiu, who is in his second season as the Director of Intercollegiate Tennis and Savitt-Weiss Head Coach of Men's Tennis. “We are still early in the season, and there is a long way to go until we accomplish our goals. We have to focus on staying healthy and getting better from here on out.  I hope our players will use the ranking as an additional motivation.”
 
Cornell rebounded from its first dual loss of the season with five straight victories, starting with a 5-2 win at then-nationally ranked St. John's at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.
 
After breezing by Buffalo in its home opener on Feb. 10, the Big Red then made a statement about its national prominence by winning the ECAC Indoor title on Feb. 17. Seeded fourth among the eight competing teams, Cornell defeated Brown in the opening round before toppling top-seeded Harvard in the semifinals. A 4-0 sweep of second-seeded Columbia in the championship put an exclamation point on the weekend and gave the Big Red its second ECAC Indoor title in the last three years.
 
Sophomore Sam Fleck, an an All-Ivy League Second Team selection from a year ago, is 6-1 so far in singles, including a perfect 5-0 mark from the No. 2 position. Cornell has shown vast improvement in doubles already this season, where it has won 17 of 23 matches in the early going.
 
The ITA rankings released Tuesday were the first of the season using the organization's computerized ranking system. Cornell ranked 63rd in the country in last week's poll, but made the big jump despite being idle last weekend. The Big Red's 39-spot jump is the highest among teams in the Top 25.
 
Cornell's best previous ranking in the ITA — which has rankings dating back to 1981 — was 40th on April 19, 2011, when the Big Red was on its way to a 26-5 finish and its first-ever outright Ivy League title. Cornell is back in action this weekend, when it hosts a Sunday doubleheader against Binghamton (1 p.m.) and Colgate (6 p.m.) at Reis Tennis Center.