Freshman surprises Big Ten with 1st conference title since '77

IU men’s tennis coach Randy Bloemendaal constantly talks about the necessity of a “breakthrough.”

He preaches it to his players every day in practice and he speaks about it before every tournament.

Josh MacTaggart must be listening.  

The freshman sensation continued his early season run by claiming a singles title at the Big Ten Indoor Championships on Monday.

It was the first time an IU player has won a Big Ten championship since 1977 and only the third time a Hoosier has earned the trophy since the tournament began in 1900.   

MacTaggart, who has won all but one of his singles matches this fall, beat Michigan’s Chris Madden by a score of 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 in the final. Madden knocked IU junior Santiago Gruter out of the tournament in the semifinal round earlier Monday.

MacTaggart’s “refuse to lose” attitude has benefitted him greatly during his initial collegiate season.

“He has had an outstanding fall, no doubt about it,” Bloemendaal said. “This caps it off. It’s a big breakthrough for him and also for the program. I mean, we haven’t won a tournament in 30 years, so he’s starting to break through barriers that are going to help us win championships.”

MacTaggart missed an opportunity when he let Madden take the second set in dominating fashion.

Bloemendaal said that’s when the United Kingdom native showed the Hoosiers what type of player he can be.

“Nobody’s going to open the door for him and say, ‘Here’s a championship,’” Bloemendaal said. “He came out swinging in that third set and won 6-1.”

MacTaggart was humble after the match, giving a great deal of credit to his teammate Gruter.

“Santiago tired (Madden) out for me,” he said. “It feels really good to win.”

MacTaggart started the day with a 6-1, 7-5 semifinal victory against Jason Lee of Penn State. He never really struggled in the match but had to fight off the Nittany Lion sophomore late in the second set.

But, just like so many other matches this season, he found a way to win.

“It has been great to do this well in the fall,” MacTaggart said. “It is really good for my confidence.”

MacTaggart might only be a freshman, but Bloemendaal said his play this fall could earn him a considerable amount of playing time during the spring.

“I’m a big believer in letting guys earn their spot, so he’s going to play where he earns it,” the second-year coach said. “It doesn’t matter if he’s a walk-on, a redshirt
freshman or a senior – if he earns it, he’ll play. He’s definitely playing near the top of the lineup right now, if not the top.”