NEWBERG, Ore. --- Spencer Watanabe and Alex Namba are headed to the 2016 ITA Oracle Cup National Championship in Surprise, Arizona, as the pair continues their journey of making history in the George Fox men's tennis program.
The journey started well before the two entered the ITA Regional Championships on Sept. 26, as the culture of the program made a shift in the 2015 season.
According to head coach Neal Ninteman and associate head coach Steve Robertson, the foundation of the culture is built on "no excuses."
"We don't allow any excuses on our team," said Robertson. "Once you take away that crutch you will see amazing things. It is the only way a team will ever be a team. A lot of teams preach about being a family, but very few understand what that means. To us, it means being held accountable and being able to learn from your mistakes."
The second layer to this foundation is training. Training, according to both coaches, is the biggest piece of the program.
This accounts for fitness, diet and on-and off-the-court training.
"Our recover days are tougher than most people experience in their lives," added Robertson. "The main goal in fitness training is to design a workout that at some point makes you want to quit. The feeling you get when you finish something that is so mentally and physically challenging is one of the greatest feelings in the world."
The third layer to this foundation is the coaches.
"You can't build a program without solid leadership," added both coaches. "We have to set the standards for all our athletes. The main thing we focus on with the guys is leading by example. We do all the fitness, tennis and off-court training with them. It wouldn't be fair to ask them to do something that we aren't willing to do."
All of those layers translate into what the men's tennis program is about.
"We understand that building a national powerhouse does not happen overnight," explained Robertson.
It's easy to see why success has followed the men's tennis program over the last couple of years. In 2015, the program made history by reaching the doubles finals at the ITA's regional championships. This year, the Bruins swept both singles and doubles finals – a feat that hasn't been done in the history of the program.
Watanabe and Namba will compete on Oct. 12 in the first round of the ITA Oracle Cup. Watanabe is set to play Arthur Fagundes of UT-Tyler at 11a.m. Namba and Watanabe will play Matt Tyer and Wilson Lambeth of Trinity (Texas) at 2p.m. that same day.
"It's a pretty big deal and a lot of emotions are going on," said Watanabe. "It's amazing to be the first in this spot." "This is by far the biggest match I've ever been a part of," echoed Namba."
It wasn't easygoing either, as Watanabe had to win six in a row at the ITA's regional championships to earn a spot in the ITA Oracle Cup singles draw. While doing the near impossible, Watanabe joined Namba for five straight wins to take the doubles field by storm at the regional.
The task ahead will be a similar job, but this time with guys who all had to win a 64-man draw. This event will showcase the best of the best in each region. Nine pairs of doubles and nine singles players will start things off Wednesday.
"Going forward, we keep doing what we're doing," said Robertson. "We train, prepare and practice better and better every day. We find new ways to challenge ourselves."
