Barton, Kludt earn first ever regional doubles tennis ranking

The quickly developing South Dakota women's tennis team received very exciting news recently when its top doubles team was ranked in the region for the first time ever by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).

USD's number one doubles team of Amanda Barton (sophomore, Aberdeen) and Rachel Kludt (senior, Huron) was ranked eighth in the rankings, which was released late last week by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

Barton and Kludt, who were 3-1 this fall, advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Wilson/ITA North Central Regional Women's Tournament in Topeka, KS, in September.

Barton/Kludt played No. 2 singles last spring and finished fifth in the North Central Conference Tournament with an overall and impressive season mark of 16-11. USD finished its fall season with a 3-0 mark and was sixth last spring in the NCC Championships. USD finished 11-13 in dual competition in the 2005-06 season.

"This is great news for our tennis team," said third-year head coach Malcolm Gilreath. "Amanda (Barton) and Rachel (Kludt) had an outstanding fall. We look for big things this spring from them," he said. "I also think ranking shows that our women's tennis team is continuing to develop and is a program that will continue to improve."