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Volume CXXXII, Number 3 |
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Men's Tennis gears up for national title
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PHIL FRIEDRICH
STAFF WRITER
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| Colin Joyner '03 prepares for a baseline smash in early fall action. Joyner is a critical component of an experience-laden Men's Tennis team that dreams of a national title championship this spring. (Evan Kohn, Bowdoin Orient) |
There is a rare moment in sports when a loss, generally thought of as the ultimate sign of failure, can become a positive force. Such is the case for this year's version of the Bowdoin Men's Tennis team.
Stemming from a heartbreaking loss to Emory University in last year's NCAA Quarterfinal round, the team has transformed their disappointment into a motivating factor. Simply put, this is a team on a mission.
"Seeing Williams go on to win nationals was heartbreaking. In fact many of us spent the whole summer thinking about it. We all have a singular focus of getting back to the big stage and avenging our loss to Emory," said co-captain August Felker '03.
While the ultimate goals of winning this year's NCAA national championship and equaling last year's 17-3 record cannot be realized until the spring season, the team is using fall tournaments to prepare for what should be a difficult road to the national crown.
"The fall season is a time for working on our games and preparing for the spring season," said Felker.
"Middlebury and Williams (our biggest tennis rivals) have retooled their respective teams and are aiming for us. Williams, and especially Middlebury, have already started the war of words, claiming their new crop of recruits will bring them to the elite eight," said Felker.
While other NESCAC foes will rely on relatively young teams, Bowdoin's strength will lie in their experience. The team returns all of its members from last year's squad, including Nick Maclean '03, who returns from a year abroad.
Maclean was the lone Bowdoin competitor to win his flight at a recent Middlebury tournament, occurring on September 14. Maclean captured the "C" flight singles title defeating Jeff Oldenburg of Middlebury, 6-2, 6-4. Mac Burke '05 reached the championship final of the "A" flight, only to fall to Middlebury's Nathan Edmunds, 6-3, 6-4.
In doubles action, Maclean and teammate Pat Soong '04 finished as finalists in the "B" doubles flight.
While individual successes at Middlebury were evident, the apparent rust of the off-season still had an effect.
"Middlebury was a fairly disappointing weekend as a team," said co-captain Colin Joyner '03. "We came into the tournament ranked very high and did not pull our weight."
An opportunity for redemption will occur this weekend as the team travels to M.I.T. to take part in one of thirteen, nationwide O.M.N.I. tournaments. The finalists of each tournament will travel to Texas in October for the national O.M.N.I. tournament.
Representing Bowdoin at the tournament in singles and doubles play will be Mac Burke, Pat Keneally, Colin Joyner, and August Felker.
"This is a very important weekend for us," said Joyner. "We will see all of our toughest competition in the East and, if things go well, one or a few of us could be finding ourselves on a plane to Texas in a few weeks."
Felker added, "It is a big tournament with all the best players in the Eastern region. It should be a good indicator of where we stand."