Sept. 25, 2002

ABILENE, Texas - Senior tennis player Mitch Aston is one of the top players in the country. He advanced to the NCAA Tournament in singles and doubles as a junior and is a two-time American Southwest Conference player of the year.

He leads the Cowboys to the West Regional ITA Championships in Oregon this weekend as the No. 1 seed in singles. Aston sat down for a quick question and answer period.

What Do You Think of This Year's Team? The team is doing great. We have a couple of new recruits that are going to help us contend on a national level. We have a good chance to not only go to nationals, but to win nationals this year as a team. We all get along and that is a key.

Would you rather be an individual national champion or a team national champion? Both. From going last year (to the NCAA Tournament) I know it is possible for me to win nationals. As a team this will be a first time since 1953 and it would be sweet to be a big part of that.

How do you feel having Mark (Plowman) back as your doubles partner after going to national semifinals with Matt Parkhill last season? He has a big serve, which really helps the person at net to put away the volleys. With Matt we played touch. I liked both, but having that big serve is really big.

What are your strengths? Forehand and Volley.

After winning two straight American Southwest Conference player of the year awards, what makes you stand out over the rest of the players in the conference? Probably experience. I have been playing ever since I was five years old. We train every day for three hours. Not a lot of teams in the conference training with a coach like we have every day. They don't drill and condition like we do.

What are your future goals? I want to make a run at the tour. Over the summer I am going to play some challenger and futures tournament. If I don't make it I will be a tennis coach in the Plano area.

What has Hardin-Simmons meant to you? Hardin-Simmons has meant a lot. All of the professors are really nice. You are on a one-on-one basis, whereas at (Texas) Tech or some other big school you are just a little person on campus, where no one knows you. At HSU everybody knows everybody. That is what I like about it.

What are your favorite moments at Hardin-Simmons? Just hanging with my teammates. The road trips to California. Joking around. We spend a lot of time around each other and you get pretty close.

What are your goals for this year? I want to win nationals in singles, doubles and team. Playing singles last year showed me I can do it. I played three tough sets with the guy I lost to and he went all the way to the semifinals, winning pretty easily. Making nationals as a team is one of the top priorities.

What was the experience at the NCAAs like last year? It felt great knowing that you are one of the top players in the country. The atmosphere was unbelievable, wherever you played there were people watching you. The people from the NCAA they treated us first class.