Johnson, Trojans ready for another title run

Junior Steve Johnson has accomplished what very few have been able to do. With strong play  and impeccable will and stamina, he walked away victorious from the NCAA singles championship match in Palo Alto, Calif., just a week after he led the Trojans to the NCAA team title.

Johnson’s achievements could not have come at a more appropriate time. Although grand on its own, the dual-championship serves as a sign for better things to come for a university still embroiled in controversy.

After a four-year NCAA investigation involving former Heisman Trophy-winner Reggie Bush, the NCAA rejected USC’s appeal to reduce sanctions imposed on the school’s football program.

In the wake of the NCAA’s wrath, Johnson and the USC men’s tennis team established a new dynasty.

With a reformed athletic administration, fresh faces in the big-ticket sports and a refreshed approach to compliance, USC athletics as a whole will be able to look to the accomplishments of their men’s tennis team for inspiration and guidance.

Merely half a week after the ruling was handed down, Johnson walked out of Stanford’s Taube Tennis Stadium as the nation’s champion after a tough three-set match. As one of USC’s most lauded programs took a shot to the chin, another emerged victorious in spectacular fashion.

With the darkness of the NCAA’s victimization of Troy came the light of Johnson’s unprecedented victories. Johnson and the USC men’s tennis program’s dominance demonstrates USC’s athletic greatness can be found in venues outside of the gridiron.

Johnson’s individual championship caps a historic feat. It was the first time a Trojan has won both the singles championship and the team championship in the same season since 1977, when the NCAA re-tooled the tournament to a dual-match format.

His accomplishments speak to the work of a group of dedicated student-athletes and coaching staff.

With this in mind, Johnson was accompanied by a team stockpiled with talent that can continue the program’s success into the future.

Junior Daniel Nguyen was the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player last season. This year, he scored the team championship clincher for the second year in a row. Nguyen will be returning for his senior season to help lead the charge to a fourth consecutive NCAA title.

Sophomore J.T. Sundling and freshman Ray Sarmiento also played pivotal roles in doubles matches throughout the NCAA tournament.

With their success up to this point and a few years ahead between them and their departures, the two are primed to follow Nguyen and Johnson’s examples and lead the program in the future.

But what about Johnson?

With the individual championship in hand alongside three team championships, it seems as though another year roaming the University Park Campus would be an afterthought.

After winning the singles championship, Johnson received an automatic bid to test his pro-ready skills in the US Open this August.

Luckily for USC fans, this event will not be Johnson’s transitional step to the professional circuit.

Deciding to return to USC for his senior season gives him and the Trojans the opportunity to accomplish a feat only two other teams have in NCAA men’s tennis’ 128-year history.

If USC brings home another team title in 2012, they will be the third team in NCAA history to win four consecutive national championships.

The others were Stanford (1995-1998) and another USC squad, under the guidance of former coach George Toley from 1966 to 1969.

All in all, USC fans will be able to cheer for a dynasty-in-the-making in 2012 while also supporting Johnson in his quest to win a second straight individual title.

At a time when the football program is down, the men’s tennis program is quietly on the rise.

With the Trojans’ 20th national championship ripe for the taking in 2012, with a three-peat reclaiming a dynasty (that was temporarily held by a Pac-10 rival) and a full-fledged superstar leading the charge, Troy’s athletics will continue to shine in the new era.

“Between The Lines” runs every other Wednesday. To comment on this article, visit dailytrojan.com or email Duke at [email protected].