Crile Takes On Elite -- Husky To Bid For Pac-10 Tennis Title

Chet Crile takes an extra breath while he hesitates, unsure how he should attack this one. He is not about to attempt a match-deciding second serve. He is about to answer a question.

Can he become the first tennis player from the University of Washington to win a Pac-10 Conference individual championship? Kind of like asking a Mariner how it would feel to win the American League pennant.

"I'd love to," Crile said. "That would be absolutely. . . . that would be an amazing honor. Yeah, I don't think that's ever been done before. You say something like that, and there's a little bit of pressure, but it's a fun thing. Yeah, I'd love to."

The thought, understandably, would make any Husky's head swim. For as long as there has been a Pac-10 individual championship, a Husky has not won it. It's a rarity for a Husky even to get close.

If ever there was a year to start thinking about the unthinkable, this is it. Crile, just a sophomore and already the Pac-10 Northern Division's player of the year, starts the quest today in Ojai, Calif., site of the Pac-10 tournament. The first step is a big one. Crile plays Cal's Matt Lucena in the first round. Lucena is ranked 20th in the country by the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association.

"I'm going with confidence," Crile said. "I'm just going to go in there and say, `What the heck,' and go for it. I realize now that I can play with these guys. On any given day, anything can happen. Tennis is a screwed-up game."

The odds are somewhat against Crile, despite his recent national ranking, despite his recent upsets over other ranked players. Crile is swimming with sharks.

Nine of the nation's top 26 players in the ITCA rankings are in the Pac-10. None of them play for schools in the Northern Division, the conference's embarrassing uncle. The disparity between the conference's southern teams and northern teams is so great, the Northern Division - comprised of UW, Washington State and Oregon - is allowed only two singles entries in the 32-player draw.

The Huskies are the best of the north, having won 16 consecutive division titles. But the rest of the conference is another world.

There live the top three teams in the nation - No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 USC and No. 3 Stanford. Reserve two more spots in the top 10 for No. 5 California and No. 10 Arizona State.

Crile, a 1989 graduate of Mercer Island High School, was recruited by Trinity, Illinois and North Carolina, now ranked No. 25 in the nation. He was on the verge of committing to the Tar Heels before going local.

"The tennis program is on the rise," said Crile, who won a state high-school singles title his senior year. "That was a big factor. And I love this area. You still get to play against all these great players (in the Pac-10). I couldn't be happier."

Doug Ruffin, the UW men's tennis coach, said the acquisition of Crile and senior Aaron Gross was a sign of changing times.

In recent years, the Huskies lost out on two big stars. Pat Galbraith, from Tacoma's Bellarmine Prep, went to UCLA and won a share of the NCAA doubles title in 1988. Brian Joelson, from Aloha High School in Beaverton, Ore., went to Texas A&M and became a regular entrant in the NCAA tournament. Joelson, formerly the club pro at Mercer Island Country Club, is now back on the professional satellite tour.

"The stars of the area are sticking around," said Ruffin, in his ninth season. "Having this facility (the two-year-old Nordstrom Tennis Center) really helps."

The $4-million, six-court, ultra-modern facility arrived just in time for Crile, who might be remembered as the player who ushered the Huskies into the Pac-10's living room.

In his second varsity season, his first playing at the No. 1 position, Crile has built a 4-5 record against nationally ranked players. All were ranked No. 73 or better.

Crile's crowning moment came at UCLA, where he beat 33rd-ranked Jason Netter 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. Netter was last year's NCAA runner-up.

"It just boosted me unbelievably," Crile said. "The very next day, I had so much more confidence."

The next day, Crile almost beat USC's Donny Isaak, ranked No. 36. A year earlier, Isaak whipped Crile. This time Crile took a 4-3 lead on Isaak in the third before Isaak won three consecutive games to win the match.

Last week, Crile got his first national ranking. He came in at No. 90. Both he and his coach thought it might be higher, but no one's complaining.

Crile, 17-11 overall, didn't even start the season as the team's No. 1 player. He earned the top spot in midseason by beating Gross, a two-time Oregon champion from Portland's Lincoln High School who played for the University of Texas for two years.

The relationship between Gross and Crile has spanned everything from teacher-pupil to rivals, and eventually, to good friends. Crile put a lock on the No. 1 spot when Gross injured his wrist three weeks ago. Gross will watch the Portland Trail Blazers play the SuperSonics in the NBA playoffs while Crile is in Ojai.

Ruffin and Crile both said Gross was instrumental in Crile's improvement. The two became regular practice partners.

"If it was anybody else taking my spot, I might have a tough time of it," Gross said. "But Chet is a good friend.

"Based on what he did before his injury, I think he'll do real well. I think he needs one more good win to get into the NCAA tournament."

As late as Tuesday, Crile's appearance at the Pac-10 tournament was in question because of a mysterious pain in his lower back and buttocks. Crile still doesn't know what caused it, nor can he locate the exact source of the pain. But last week it was so sharp that he couldn't walk without wincing.

"It feels real good right now," Crile said. "I have no idea what it was. It used to hurt when I hit deep overheads, so I avoided them at all costs. I'm sure I'm going to have to hit them this weekend."

Gross won two matches in last year's Pac-10 tournament and was one spot away from earning a berth in that NCAA tournament.

The UW's standout freshman, Manuel Marti from Madrid, Spain, will go as the team's No. 2 player. Crile and junior Knute Lund will play doubles.

Mary Reilly and Cindy Olejar are the only players from the women's team at the Pac-10 tournament.

; CRILE VS. THE RANKINGS;

-- The University of Washington's Chet Crile, a sophomore from Mercer Island, is ranked 90th in national rankings compiled by the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association. His record so far this season against nationally ranked opponents (4-5):; ; ; Rank Opponent, school W/L Score; ; 15 Byron Black, USC L 6-3, 6-2; ; 33 Jason Netter, UCLA W 7-5, 3-6, 6-3; ; 36 Donny Isaak, USC L 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; ; 12 Doug Livingston, Arizona L 6-4, 6-0; ; 39 Bryan Gyetko, Arizona St. L 6-4, 7-5; ; 63 Greg Hartch, Princeton W 7-5, 6-1; ; 73 Ricardo Herrera, San Diego St. L 6-3, 6-3; ; 35 David Decret, UCSB W 6-4, 6-4; ; 73 Ricardo Herrera, San Diego St. W 6-3, 6-1; ; Rankings are compiled by Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association.;