May 22, 1997

Whitlinger, Goldstein Recognized

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Stanford assistant men's tennis coach John Whitlinger received the first annual Assistant Coach of the Year Award, given by the ITA today. Whitlinger helped lead the 1997 squad to their third-straight NCAA title.

Whitlinger, a two-time All-American at Stanford, is now in his 11th season as an assistant coach. While playing at Stanford, he helped lead Stanford to its first two NCAA Championships in men's tennis in 1973 and 1974. In 1974, he won the NCAA singles title, teamed with Jim Delaney to win the NCAA doubles crown, and helped lead Stanford to the team championship. Whitlinger, a member of Stanford's Athletic Hall of Fame, earned All-American honors in 1974.

Junior All-American Paul Goldstein received the prestigious Rafael Osuna Award. The award is presented annually in memory of USC great Rafael Osuna to the collegiate player best exemplifying competitive excellence, sportsmanship and contributions to the game. Goldstein is the fourth Cardinal to receive the award (Pat Dupre - 1976, Bill Maze - 1977, Tim Mayotte - 1981, Jim Grabb - 1986).

Goldstein, the 15th-ranked player in the country, finished the season with an unblemished dual-match record of 14-0. He was selected to the All-Pac-10 Southern Conference First Team, and he won the Pac-10 Doubles title at Ojai with Ryan Wolters.

Stanford University Men's Tennis