Nord nets German transfer from Old Dominion
8/26/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
University of Montana men???s tennis coach Kris Nord announced Wednesday that Timo Gehrke has accepted a scholarship offer and will join the Grizzlies beginning with the 2009-10 season. Gehrke, a native of Hamburg, Germany, played the 2008 spring season at Old Dominion.
Gehrke, who will be a sophomore in eligibility, went 7-4 in singles for the nationally ranked Monarchs during the 2008 spring dual season, 12-10 in doubles. Gehrke???s Old Dominion highlights included a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 6 singles over Texas???s Jon Wiegand when the Longhorns were ranked No. 4 nationally.
Gehrke played as high as No. 1 singles for ODU.
???Old Dominion has a good men???s program, and Timo had some good results for them,??? Nord said. ???When we heard he was looking to transfer, we jumped at the idea of having him come here. We lost (graduated seniors) Colin (Dektar) and Felipe (Raw), and I???d rather not have four new freshmen coming in. Timo fit the bill because he???s a little bit older and he???s played quality competition.
???He???s a big kid with a big serve. When we get him in shape, he could play high up in the lineup, and that probably excites me more than anything else. He also brings a lot to the doubles lineup with his serve.???
Gehrke spent the 2009 spring semester back in Germany before deciding it would be Montana where he continued his collegiate career.
???When I decided to transfer, I was looking for a good, solid program where I would have the opportunity to play high in the lineup, like at one, two or three,??? Gehrke said. ???I came for my recruiting visit, and I liked the coach, I liked the University and I liked the surroundings.
???I want to play as high up the ladder as possible, but my primary goals are team-based. The team is first. I want to win a lot of matches.???
The Grizzlies open their fall tournament season at the Montana State Open in Bozeman, Mont., Friday through Sunday, Sept. 11-13.
