Greatest Moment No. 9: Spring of 1968

We continue with the announcement of the 10 Greatest Moments in Oglethorpe Athletic history as voted on by Stormy Petrel fans and alumni by revealing Moment No. 9.

Moment No. 9: Spring, 1968

Spring, 1968 - Robbie Smith leads the Oglethorpe University tennis program to new heights with his stellar play on the courts. He advanced to the April 1968 finals of the Georgia Intercollegiate Tennis Championships by defeating the University of Georgia's best player, Bill Shippey, in the semifinals. In the championship match, Smith topped John Gilbart from Georgia Tech to earn the crown and an automatic invitation to the NCAA Division II Championships.

The 1968 NCAA Division II Championships were held in Fort Worth, Texas in May and Smith continued his hot play representing Oglethorpe on the courts by advancing all the way to the quarterfinals. To date, Smith's accomplishment still stands as the furthest any individual male or female tennis player has advanced in an NCAA Championship event in Oglethorpe athletics history.

In addition to his record setting performance in the singles competition, Smith also paired with Oglethorpe teammate Joe Dennis to advance all the way to the Round of 16 before falling. Like his accomplishment in singles, the doubles pairing with Dennis also captured the highest finish of any tennis duo in Oglethorpe history at an NCAA Championship event.

The accompanying photo shows both Smith and Dennis in the 1967-1968 Oglethorpe University tennis team photo taken on campus. Smith is shown kneeling as the third person from the left and Dennis is the one standing directly behind him.

To view the complete list of the Greatest Moments following their release, go here. Moment No. 8 will be announced next Friday, February 26, 2010.