Gachko Selected as Empire 8 Coach of the Year; Five Men's Tennis Players Earn All-Conference Honors
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (April 30, 2008) – The Empire 8 announced its year-end award recipients for men’s tennis on Wednesday afternoon, and Steve Gachko of Stevens Institute of Technology was picked as the coach of the year by the conference. In 2008, Gachko assisted the Ducks to their first-ever Empire 8 Championship and a second-straight NCAA Division III Tournament appearance.
In singles action, senior Ricky Bawa as well as freshmen Zhi Wei Ko and Arik Zeevy were named to the All-Empire 8 first-team. Bawa registered a team-best record of 17-5. He was also a perfect 8-0 against conference opponents. Furthermore, Bawa was picked as the Stevens representative for Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year. The accolade emphasizes that “Competing with Honor and Integrity” is an essential component of the experience of the student-athlete.
Ko owned a ledger of 14-8 in just his first season with Stevens. In dual matches, he notched a 12-5 mark and was 7-1 versus the Empire 8. As for Zeevy, he went 13-4 overall and 9-2 in the second flight. Zeevy also won all six of his matches against conference schools during the year.
In doubles play, Bawa and sophomore Piotr Rusinkiewicz earned first-team honors after posting a ledger of 14-9, which included a 10-8 record in dual matches. The duo was also 5-1 in the Empire 8. Ko and freshman Jay Lee were the other team to receive All-Empire 8 first-team accolades. The tandem registered an overall ledger of 10-1 during the spring.
The Ducks return to action this Friday when they travel to Fredericksburg, Va. for the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. Stevens will do battle with Neumann College at the Battleground on the campus of Mary Washington University. First serve is scheduled for 9 a.m.
