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Men’s Tennis Sets Sights On Empire 8 Title
Behind fifth-year head coach Steve Gachko, the Stevens Institute of Technology men’s tennis team, ranked 12th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Northeast Region after a stellar fall season, enters the spring campaign with its sights set on its reclaiming the Empire 8 title for the first time since 2008. The Ducks, who will add a talented corps of newcomers to eight returnees from last season’s 14-5 squad, stand poised to improve upon 2009’s 8-1 conference mark and Empire 8 championship match berth.
“First and foremost, our expectation is to win the conference. That’s the goal and I expect us to make the NCAA’s and make some noise there,” said Gachko. “We certainly have the talent to do that, it’s just a matter of staying healthy, and making sure the guys push each other and come in with the right attitude. We saw a lot of that in the fall and just hope to expand upon it in the spring.”
Hoping to help guide this year’s squad to the conference crown are junior co-captains Arik Zeevy (Irvington, N.Y.) and Carlo Pardo (Cedar Knolls, N.J.). A first-team all-league pick in both singles and doubles, Zeevy compiled an 18-7 overall mark in 2009, going 13-5 in top-flight singles with an 8-1 league ledger. The Irvington, N.Y. native continued to impress this past fall, racking up a 2-1 record during the Lions’ Invitational hosted by The College of New Jersey and the ITA Tournament in Willingboro, N.J. Meanwhile, Pardo amassed a 13-5 tally in fourth through sixth-flight singles action, going 7-3 in his last 10 matches.
“Arik (Zeevy) has matured so much and we really expect him to be a great leader,” Gachko said. “Carlo (Pardo) leads by example and everyone looks up to him. He really sets the tone for what’s expected out there.”
Also returning to the fold this season are senior Piotr Rusinkiewicz (Clifton, N.J.), a second-team all-Empire 8 performer a year ago, juniors Kristoffer-Jude Cecilio (Belleville, N.J.), Jay Lee (La Jolla, Calif.), Ryan Wilson (Toms River, N.J.), and Jason Ringstad (Fairbanks, Alaska), and sophomore Gregory Klose (Englewood, N.J.).
Rusinkiewicz posted a 13-6 singles record last season, finishing with a 12-2 mark in third-flight singles. He went 8-0 against conference opponents, going 8-1 in Stevens’ last 10 matches. Klose, Jude Cecilio, and Wilson combined to go 7-9 last year, with Klose going 1-0 in fifth-flight singles action, while Wilson went 2-1 in sixth-flight singles competition.
Ringstad, who teamed with Zeevy on the squad’s top-flight, 12-5, first-team all-league doubles pairing, went 14-9 last season, with a 12-6 mark in second-flight singles. Lee, who paired with Klose on the squad’s third-flight, 13-1, second-team all-Empire 8 doubles team, will also look to add depth to a balanced Stevens’ lineup, after going 14-8 last year, which included a 9-2 mark in fourth-flight singles. The La Jolla, Calif. Native was 8-2 over his final 10, with an 8-1 record against league opponents.
“We’re really going to look to Jason (Ringstad) and Jay (Lee) to add some depth to our lineup. They did well last year and should do a good job of solidifying our lineup,” explained Gachko. “Our depth is going to be key, because that's the one thing that hurt us a little bit last year against the tougher teams.”
Rounding out the Ducks roster in 2010 is a talented freshmen class that looks ready to make an immediate impact in their first full seasons on the Hudson. Headlining the group of newcomers are Shota Tasaki (Greenwich, Conn.) and Chris Rosensteel (East Windsor, N.J.), along with Derek Smith (Boise, Idaho) and Stan Yakoff (Fort Lee, N.J.).
Tasaki and Rosensteel went 6-5 during the fall season, with a combined 5-4 mark during play at the Lions’ Invitational and ITA Tournament. Yakoff and Smith finished a combined 3-3 during the fall, with Yakoff scoring a fourth-flight singles win in Stevens’ lone dual-match of the season.
“We have a really talented group. Despite just being a freshman, Shota (Tasaki) is definitely someone we’re going to look to, to become one of our number one guys. He’s just going to continue to get better and better, and we’re looking forward to him stepping up,” said Gachko. “Chris (Rosensteel) also had a really good fall. He had a couple of nice wins and he’s going to be a huge addition to the top of the lineup in singles and doubles. Stan (Yakoff) and Derek (Smith) will also be competing right there with those guys and will also look to make an immediate impact.”
In order to reach their lofty goals this season, Stevens must first navigate one of its most challenging schedules to date. The Ducks will square off against four teams ranked in the top 15 of the ITA’s Northeast Region, including defending Empire 8 champion Ithaca College, which ousted Stevens, 5-3, in last year’s conference championship match.
“This is definitely the most competitive schedule we’ve had,” Gachko said. “The biggest thing for us will be how we deal with the heightened expectations now that we’re ranked 12th (in the Northeast). We’ll be playing four of the top 15 teams in the Northeast this spring, so we’ll certainly have an opportunity to move up in the rankings and I expect us to.”
The Ducks take on Haverford College on March 3 in their first dual-match of the season, before traveling to Orlando, Fla. on March 15-18 to face Babson College, Springfield College, Connecticut College, and Hamilton College. Stevens opens its home schedule against Drew University on March 24 before taking on nationally ranked No. 23 Skidmore College on March 27.
The Ducks then return home to host ITA Northeast Region No. 9 Tufts University on March 28, before squaring off with Moravian College on March 31. Stevens opens up Empire 8 play with St. John Fisher College and Alfred University on April 2-3 before facing ITA Northeast Region No. 15 Ithaca and Elmira College on April 10.
Stevens will then take a break from conference action to face New York University on April 14, before hosting three matches on April 17-18 against Hartwick College, Utica College, and SUNY Oneonta. The Ducks close out their league slate against rivals Nazareth College and Rochester Institute of Technology on April 24 before facing ITA Northeast Region No. 10 The College of New Jersey in the regular season finale on April 28.
The Empire 8 Championships are scheduled for May 8-9 at the Mercer County Tennis Center in West Windsor, N.J.
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