Wilson and Gutierrez Receive No. 53 National Doubles Ranking

Oracle/ITA Division I Men's Rankings: Nov. 14

Liberty freshman Josh Wilson and senior Eddie Gutierrez are listed as the 53rd-ranked doubles pairing in the country in the latest Oracle/ITA Division I Men's Rankings, announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) this week.

Wilson and Gutierrez went 3-0 and won a doubles title last weekend at the Longhorn Invitational in Austin, Texas. This marks the first-ever ranking in doubles or singles for either player. They are the first Flames pairing since Shea Thomas and Jorge Azuero in 2014 to be ranked at the national level in doubles.

"We've made a point to work hard at our doubles skills this fall. When our doubles skills improve, so do our singles games," said Flames head coach Derek Schwandt. "Josh and Eddie represent the Flames well on a consistent basis. We are all excited for the spring season."

Wilson and Gutierrez boast a 6-3 mark in the fall, including a victory over the current No. 26 doubles unit in the nation, Gardner-Webb's Maximillian Scholl and Millen Hurrion, at the Liberty University Invitational on Sept. 28.  

The duo is one of two ranked doubles teams from the ASUN Conference, along with No. 57 Pablo Caffarena and Victor Chaw of Lipscomb.

The next doubles rankings will be released on Jan. 2, along with singles rankings and the first team rankings of the season.

Liberty's first match of the spring 2019 campaign will be on Jan. 18 at Miami, which finished No. 42 in the national rankings last season. The Flames' home opener will take place on Feb. 15 versus the George Washington Colonials. Liberty's inaugural ASUN Conference dual match will be held on March 23 at Kennesaw State, with its ASUN home opener coming on March 30 against Lipscomb.