MinneThe 22nd-ranked University of Minnesota Men's Tennis was awarded a bid to the 2002 NCAA Championships. The Golden Gophers will travel to Malibu for the first and second rounds of the tournament. Minnesota (16-7) will face Arizona State (12-9) in the first round on Saturday, May 11. Host Pepperdine, the fifth-seed in the tournament, will play Richmond (17-9). The winner of the regional will advance to the Round of 16 with the remainder of the tournament to be played in College Station, Texas, from May 18-21.

This is the ninth straight year that Minnesota has advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Earlier this season, Pepperdine defeated the Golden Gophers, 7-0, on March 19.

Harsh Mankad qualified for both the NCAA Singles Championship, as well as the Doubles Championship with teammate Thomas Haug. The reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, Mankad is currently ranked fourth in the nation with a 23-4 record. This season, Mankad and Haug fashioned a 10-5 record, including a victory over the nation's fifth-ranked duo from Notre Dame.

Seedings for the singles and doubles championships will be held on May 22, with the tournament to be held from May 23-27 in College Station, Texas.