2012 Trojan Tennis Ring Ceremony Set For Saturday
September 18, 2012 | Men's Tennis
Sept. 18, 2012
Before being honored for winning its fourth straight national championship at Saturday's football game, the USC men's tennis team will suit up for the occasion with some new hardware. The Trojans will be receiving their 2012 NCAA Championship rings in a ceremony at Heritage Hall at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday (Sept. 22), with the USC band and athletic director Pat Haden also joining the public celebration.
The ring ceremony has become a pregame tradition for the Trojans, thanks to their historic run of four consecutive NCAA championships. In 2012, seniors Steve Johnson and Daniel Nguyen helped anchor USC to another crown, and the pair will top off their Trojan careers with a full fist of fingers wearing NCAA rings. Johnson himself will have spilled over to his other hand, as he claimed back-to-back NCAA Singles Championships as a junior and senior.
Led by head coach Peter Smith, the 2012 Trojans lost just one match last season, rebounding strong to win the first Pac-12 Tournament Championship and rolling on to successfully defend its previous three NCAA titles, taking its fourth in a row to finish 33-1 overall on the year. Top-seeded USC won a heart-stopping championship match against No. 3 seed Virginia, with the clincher in the 4-3 win coming from freshman Yannick Hanfmann in a third-set tiebreaker.
With the 2012 title, USC became the first team since Stanford's 1995-98 teams to win four consecutive national championships. The Trojans lead all, however, in total team championships as they now hold 20 national titles. The victory also brought the university its 117th national championship, as the USC men's tennis team has matched the men's water polo team with four straight crowns.
