Bittner and Tandberg named co-recipients of the Kris Nord Grizzly Grit Award

It certainly bodes well for the future of your program when the end of season MVP award is split between two sophomores: one that had arguably the best season in Grizzly history, and the other that didn't even see the court.

Montana men's tennis head coach Jason Brown finds himself in that very enviable position with two rising stars splitting the votes to earn the second annual "Kris Nord Grizzly Grit Award."

Tom Bittner, who had one of the best seasons in Montana history with a 16-2 singles record, and Eivind Tandberg, who transferred to UM mid-year and sat out the spring season as a greyshirt, were named co-winners of the award, Brown announced Thursday.

One player who stood out under the lights, and one who toiled in the shadows when no one was looking.

The de facto MVP award as voted on by the team's players, staff, and administrators, the Grizzly Grit Award is given to the person (or persons) that "best exemplifies the program's values on the court, in the gym, in the classroom, and in the community."

As an indicator of just how reverent an honor it is, the award is named after legendary coach Kris Nord "who led the team to its first conference championship and instilled its core values in every player that has come through since," so-says the plaque now hanging in Brown's office.

"This award has a special place in my heart. It's the award I feel like I'd want my kid to win because you have to be well rounded. It can't just be that you are a great guy that's fun to be around or a hard worker in the gym. That it gets voted on by the whole team – all the players, coaches, and admin – says they are doing everything well. In this case we have two guys who are outstanding, one in competition and one in practice," said Brown.

"I never predicted there would be a tie, but it's really cool because these guys represent two very different aspects of what it takes to succeed on this team. It's also cool for me as a coach to be able to split it between two very deserving candidates. I'm really excited for the future. I'm excited to see Tommy build on what he did this year and for Eivind to be able to get out there and show us what he's got over the next couple of years."

You'd be hard pressed to find anyone that had a better year than Tom Bittner.

Coming off a freshman campaign that he's tell you was not up to his own standard; the German went to work and did what it took to improve as a sophomore.

The result? In short: he dominated everything he did, both on the court and in the classroom.

Bittner was a unanimous first team All-Big Sky pick, working his way up from court three to court one, finishing the year at 16-2 overall, and going 7-1 in league play while winning in six of his last eight matches. He also posted a winning record in doubles at 8-7 on the year.

In the classroom, he pulled-off a perfect 4.0 GPA (taking classes in his second language, no less), and was this year's co-recipient of UM's President's Award that goes to the male and female student-athletes who achieved the highest undergraduate GPA in all of Grizzly Athletics over the previous two semesters.

Accomplishments in class and competition that represent the very best of the best for any college athlete.

"Tommy had one of the all-time great seasons for a Grizzly on the court, won the President's Award, and off the court he checks every box. He couldn't be more professional and leads the way in that regard," said Brown.

For Bittner, the accolades that keep piling up are proof-positive that hard work does indeed pay off. He avenged his freshman struggles with a convincing 6-0, 6-4 win over last year's Big Sky Freshman of the Year Valentino Pellegrin of Idaho State, and his only conference loss came at the hands of Big Sky MVP, senior Mark Keki of Sac State.

"It's a huge honor, especially since it gets voted on by the team. I try to be a good teammate and I think I put a good effort in on the court and in the classroom, so getting recognition for that is pretty awesome," Bittner said.

"The first year is always tough, especially coming from a different country. You don't know what classes are like or what teachers expect. So that was definitely easier the second year. Same thing on the court. I knew what I had to bring and how good the opponents were going to be.

"I knew what Jason (Brown) and Ethan (Vaughn) expected of me, so I worked on that the entire summer and in the fall it all kind of clicked, both on the court and in the classroom. Things kept going my way and I was able to be successful all year.

"So, it's a true honor to receive this award, and I'm going to try to work even harder next year to keep it going."

That's the Grizzly MVP that people saw. Anyone who came to a match this spring left saying "Yep, that guy is playing No. 1 for a reason."

But where Eivind Tandberg stood out were places only his fellow teammates and coaches could see. The cold 7 a.m. practices in February. The after-class lifting sessions in the Washington-Grizzly Champions Center. The car rides to the Peak, and all the small moments in between.

In fact, the only time a fan would see him would be sitting on the bench during a match, cheering his teammates on as the Griz punched their ticket to yet another Big Sky Championship tournament.

Little things that didn't go unnoticed.

"Eivind shows up as a mid-year transfer and can't play, but he literally set the bar for the hardest working guy in the gym and on the court. I've never done so many 7 a.m. sessions with a guy in one semester in my life, and he wanted more and more. Everybody involved with the program has seen so much improvement in him," said Brown.

"He hit the ground running, was part of the team from day one, and really help set the tone."

Tandberg, a native of Oslo, Norway, came to Montana in January after spending the first year and a half of his career at NAIA Lawrenceville Tech in Detroit, where he immediately became one of the best players in his conference.

Now at the D-I level, he's proven he has the hunger and ability to compete with the best in the Big Sky without serving a ball.

"He showed up with a great attitude, ready to work and didn't blink knowing that he wouldn't get to compete. Every day he just showed up and said I want to get better. To a man his teammates came to me at different points in the semester and said 'Man, Eivind is such a great pickup. What a great Grizzly and what a great guy to have on our team,'" said Brown.

"This award was built for someone like him to win. He didn't even get to compete and he's standing out."

Being a part of any college team and going through a season knowing you won't see a minute of action is a tough ask for a student-athlete. Especially one who's already starred for another team. But in a true reflection of the kind of person he is, and the kind of person that wins this award, Tandberg took lemons and made lemonade.

"Obviously, learning I couldn't play was a big bummer. So, I didn't have too high of expectations for this semester, but I've actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Just getting to focus on my tennis and improving instead of always having to compete and worry about winning was good. Being around the guys on the team made it quite fun as well, so I've had a great time this semester," he said.

"This award means a lot, especially coming from the people who voted because they're all great guys and I really appreciate them thinking that I'm doing a great job. And winning it with Tommy, I couldn't ask for more. As a team, if we keep putting in the work and become a little better every day, I think we can achieve some great stuff together."

He may have only been watching and waiting, but in the one semester he's been in Missoula, Tandberg's thirst for winning has done nothing but grow. Now he's ready to set his goals as high as possible.

"After college, I want to see how good a tennis player I can be and try to earn some ATP Tour points. But after being here this semester my short-term goal is to help the team win a Big Sky Championship," he said.

Two young players with two winning mindsets. If the Griz have four more players in next year's lineup with their hunger for success, nothing, it seems, is out of Montana's reach.

"The future of Griz tennis is super bright. I've never been more excited about a season than the one we're heading into with a great group of returners, a true team atmosphere, and some real camaraderie," said Brown.

"These guys really love each other, and it feels like a family. I think they are ready to get after it, and I think we're going to be the team to beat next year."

University of Montana Athletics

Bittner and Tandberg named co-recipients of the Kris Nord Grizzly Grit Award

Players Mentioned

Tom Bittner

Eivind Tandberg

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