Another DIII season is starting up, and we here at The Blog couldn’t be more excited. However, in order to fully rid ourselves of the 2014-2015 season, we must first take a look back and give thanks to those dearly departed souls who spent much of the past four years pouring everything they had into your teams. They have moved onto other, less important stages of their lives, and are now nothing more than fanboys/girls and aspiring bloggers. I’m back to kick of my 2015-2016 season with a small tribute to the NE seniors who have moved on to “bigger and better” things. D3Regional did his part way back in May, so now it’s my turn to look at the NE’s top-10.
Though the NE was not able to continue its absurd dominance, we still have 4 titles in the past 6 years! At the beginning of the year I noted (with a heavy heart) that an NE champ in 2015 was unlikely, but a 2016 NE champ was probable. Now that we’ve slogged through 2015, (sidebar: isn’t it amazing when an NE team makes the NCAA finals and the year is still considered a “down year”) we must borrow a phrase from the Ironborns on what has (by default) become the best show on television (True Detective was a bigger letdown than D3AS’s gym schedule). What is dead may never die. So, readers, let’s not think of this as a funeral service for all the graduating seniors, let’s think of this as a celebration of their lasting accomplishments. The bards will sing songs of their heart and sacrifice. Each top-10 team in the region will be mentioned here, but we’ll save the longer team previews until after the fall season. Some of the W-L records may be slightly off, I tried to stay consistent with the ITA website, but we all know that some results never get posted etc. etc. Enough schmoozing. Here’s lookin at you, seniors. Go have a day.
#10 Wesleyan: Stephen Monk: New York, NY. Singles: 28-25 Doubles: 18-14.
The “Pale Playa” (that’s right, nicknames for everyone in the article) amassed a pretty solid win-loss record over his four years in Middletown, but his greatest role could have been leadership. Stephen was the only senior on a team full of talented young whippersnappers, and though he played sparingly over his senior year, his presence was invaluable. It’s tough to go from playing #1 to the bottom of the lineup, but Monk handled it with grace and Coach Fried and the Cardinals benefitted greatly from having him around. Thank you, Stephen.
#9 Stevens: No seniors! Well looky here folks, we have a team that had its best year in program history, and it’s returning the whole starting lineup? I know, I know, I should learn from my past with Wesleyan and temper my expectations, but bigger things could be around the corner for the Ducks. As this is a tribute article, I won’t spend too long on a team without any seniors, but quack…quack…quack, boys and girls.
#8 Skidmore: No seniors! Damnit, I just said I wasn’t going to spend time on a team with no seniors. The Thoroughbreds didn’t graduate anybody, and although they graduated five of their starting six after the 2014 season, they exceeded expectations last season. The young guys are going to have to step up, as Leung and Sanderson did last year, but Saratoga Springs could be in for a good year.
#7 Bates: Pierre Planche: Natick, MA Singles: 42-32. Doubles: 47-23. The “Mac Daddy” of the Bobcats, Planche and his on again off again relationship with bad facial hair was a mainstay in the Bobcat’s top-4 for four years straight. The W-L records above speaks for itself and replacing an All American is never easy. Planche will leave a glaring hole at the top of the Cats’ lineup. Bates might not be the same next year without its “daddy.” Thank you, Pierre.
Henry Lee: Sag Harbor, NY. Singles: 13-21. Doubles: 16-16. 8-9 at #2 dubs this year.
We’ve been through this before, but if the Bates Twitter account is so adamant about calling Planche “Daddy,” that Lee must be the “Mama Bear.” The Long Island native played some very solid doubles this year, and the height discrepancy between him and his partner was always amusing (Bates has had some really short guys). Kind of like a White Goodman and Me’Shell thing from Dodgeball. Captain Lee was in different sections of the lineup for the better part of three years, and will obviously be missed in Lewiston. Thank you, Henry.
#6 Trinity: Daniel Carpenter: Wayzata, Minnesota Singles: 38-40. Doubles: 23-31.
In Hartford, DC was more than just a brand of comic books. Carpenter made the impressive jump from #6 to #1 over the course of his career, and was always good for a grind. One of Trinity’s many graduating seniors, Carpenter was always one of the nicest guys around, and yes, for all those that were wondering, he definitely does look like a slightly stretched out version of Stephen Monk. Thank you, Daniel.
Ilya Levin: Wellesley, MA. Singles: 24-12. Doubles 20-20. 10-1 at mainly #5 singles this year.
The second lefty moving on from Hartford, Levin had by far his best year as a senior. He was undefeated in singles for most of the 2014-2015 season, and ended his season 10-1. Levin could usually be found grinning, which happened to make him resemble a mischievous leprechaun, but no one was going to be taking his lucky charms on the doubles court without a fight. Levin was a regular in the Bantam doubles lineup throughout all four years in Connecticut. Thank you, Ilya.
Ned Mandel: Chevy Chase, MD. Singles: 25-21. Doubles: 17-20.
First thing’s first, apparently there’s a town called Chevy Chase. I had to confirm because I thought that was a joke at first. Turns out it’s just outside of Washington, D.C. Who knew? Ned probably knew. Here’s another thing you may not have known, Ned is actually short for Nedward. Ned had some big wins in his first couple seasons, and was named to the All-NESCAC 2nd team for doubles during his freshman year. Thank you, Ned.
Musyoka “Moose” Mbithi: Roxbury, NJ. Singles: 18-24. Doubles: 28-27.
One of the better names and nicknames in DIII tennis, Moose struggled a bit to make the jump from #5/#6 to #2. That being said, he was an animal (yes, pun intended) on the doubles side. Pairing with Ford Traff, the duo rattled off seven straight wins to start the spring season and finished the year with an 11-4 mark, finishing the season as the sixth best team in the region. Thank you, Musyoka.
David Myers: Winnetka, IL. Singles: 2-2. Doubles: 21-22.
Big Baby Myers was far more of a doubles specialist, but he sure had a nice serve/forehand combo. I’m sure playing family doubles tournaments with Brantner Jones (that’s right, they’re cousins) would have been helpful to the little cuz. Myers paired with Carpenter at #2 doubles, and the senior captains posted a record of 7-8, including wins over Bowdoin, Wesleyan, Sewanee, and Cal Lu. Thank you, David.
Evan Tikka, Brayden Minahan, and George Wheatley: Valencia, CA, Duxbury MA, and Glen Clove, NY: combined 1-1 in singles and 2-1 in doubles. Ah yes, the apparent unsung heroes for the Bants. I will be very honest, I had only heard whispers of George, and never heard of Bradyen, or Evan, but the team roster listed them all season long. Apparently Brayden beat Rushab Tanna from Babson 3&1 in March of his freshman year, and George was a combined 2-2 in doubles and singles over his career. If these three guys stuck it out and played all four years, they deserve to be commended. If not, let’s move on. Thank you, Evan, Brayden, and George.
#5 Tufts: Brian Tan: Orinda, CA Singles: 23-16. Doubles: 15-14.
One of the few players that really liked engaging on twitter (I really wish more of you would do this, it’s fun for us too!) I would not hesitate to say that Tan quickly became one of my favorite guys in DIII. When he started his career in Medford (pronounced Medfahhhhhhhhd), he was barely a mediocre #6, and before his career was over he was playing #3 singles for a newly competitive NESCAC team and holding his own. Over the past couple of years, Tan played lots of #1 doubles, mainly with Nik Telkedzhiev, and (perhaps most importantly) he was one of the masterminds behind the Tufts spring break music videos. B-Tan (which I assume stems from his love for a Black and Tan), keep in touch, we’ll miss your smiling face. Thank you, Brian.
#4 Williams: My oh my, a third top-10 NE team without a single senior. With four rising seniors, the Ephs are certainly looking to make a run this year. That being said, it will likely be their youth that gets them over the top. Raventos made the leap last season, and Coach Greenberg will need a couple of other players to follow suit. With a couple of top recruits headed to Williamstown this fall, this Eph team that was so up and down last year should have a legitimate shot to challenge for the NESCAC crown.
#3 Bowdoin: Noah Bragg: Brookline, MA. Singles: 32-35. Doubles: 24-32.
His sunglasses may have made him appear to be a somewhat blind John Lennon, but Noah did more than just Imagine his tennis success. Bowdoin’s curly captain notched wins over Carpenter (Trinity Ct), Chen (Wesleyan), Arguello (Brandeis), Shastri (Williams) and many others during his senior season, putting up 12 singles wins over the course of his senior season. Although he was always known more for his singles than his doubles play, Bragg was 11-3 in doubles last season, and finished his career with seven straight wins (including two wins over Middlebury). A theater buff, and one of the nicest guys in DIII, Brunswick will miss its bespectacled senior. Thank you, Noah.
Kyle Wolstencroft: Greenwich, CT. Singles: 38-19. Doubles: 39-38.
Fanciest hair in the NESCAC, and one heck of a doubles player, Bowdoin will also be without Kyle “Wolsty” Wolstencroft next year. Kyle was 6-4 in the singles lineup last season, but put up an astounding winning percentage over his 4 years. 2/3 times , Kyle was going to win. That’s a large percentage. In fact, no graduating senior who played in the lineup for more than a year had as high a percentage as Kyle. Bowdoin is reloading with three big time recruits, but losing Noah and Kyle stops me from considering this team a safe bet to make the quarterfinals in 2016. Thank you, Kyle.
#2 Amherst: Jon Cypers: Chappaqua, NY. Singles: 10-9. Doubles: 15-11.
A promising start to a career for the four-star New Yorker, Cypers played #6 on the A team his freshman fall, and on the top of Amherst’s vaunted B team (which would probably still have been top-15) for most of his freshmen spring. He got some work as a senior, notching a win against San Diego Mesa in his final singles match (according to the ITA website, where he is also listed as JAN Cypers). Thank you, Jon.
Andrew Scheiner: New York, NY. Singles: 19-10. Doubles: 28-10.
Another New Yorker, Mr. Scheiner had his best singles win of the best year over Cam Daniels (Wesleyan). Scheiner must have loved the fall foliage, because the main times he made it into Amherst’s starting singles lineup was for the team’s annual fall dual matches vs. Johns Hopkins and Carnegie Mellon. However Angry Andy contributed more on the doubles side, scoring wins with Russell Einbider over the #3 teams from Middlebury, Williams, Bowdoin, and Bates. Thank you, Andrew.
Sean Rodriguez: Corpus Christi, TX. Singles: 18-8,.Doubles: 15-2.
Rodriguez was the main senior contributor last spring for the Jeffs, going 11-4 at #5 singles. He took home wins over some of the best #5’s in the country including De Quant (Midd), Wolstencroft (Bowdoin), and Wu (Wash U), and was a key cog in the Jeff machine. Sean had a strong first weekend of NCAAs, blanking Yeshiva (seriously, 8-0 at #3 dubs and 6-0, 6-0 at #4 singles), and notching a doubles win vs. Skidmore. His career, and the rest of the Amherst senior careers came to an unfortunate end at the hands of the Chicago Maroons in the NCAA quarterfinals. As Amherst gears up for yet another title run, Rodriguez, and his Rudy-eque attitude/features will be missed. Thank you, Sean.
#1 Middlebury: Courtney Mountifield: Bedford, NH. Singles: 30-17. Doubles: 2-1.
Courtney, often pronounced caught-knee (it’s amazing how similar the phonetic typing of New England and Old England accents are. Coincidence?), was the largest contributor to the Panthers lineup over the past four years. Although he did have a rough senior year, he did beat a couple of very tough #6’s in Thomas Low (Pomona-Pitzer) and Gil Roddy (Bowdoin) in superbreakers Mountifield was always good for a grind, and was always more of a singles player than a doubles specialist. He has wins over Carl Reid (Colby #1) and Pierre Planche (ex-Bates #1) in his career, and was a contributor to a Middlebury team that improved in each Courtney’s four years. Thank you, Courtney.
Chris Frost: Niskayuna, NY. Singles: 9-0. Doubles: 22-12.
Well look at Mr. Frost, an undefeated dual match singles career (according to the ITA). Not many of those hanging around DIII. Frost had his best season as a senior, when he made the final of the Midd. Invitational, earned a bid to ITAs where he pushed Revzin (Amherst #4) to 3 sets, and made the semis of the Wallach where he lost to teammate and fellow senior Peter Heidrich. But like Heidrich, Frosted Flake’s major contributions came on the doubles side of the lineup. Frost paired with De Quant to go 15-10 a #3 doubles last spring, including big NCAA wins in the quarters and semis over the #3 teams from Trinity Tx and Chicago. Frost was a calming presence on this Panther team, and we’ll see just how much his leadership will be missed in 2016. Thank you, Chris.
Peter Heidrich: Peoria, IL. Singles: 9-3. Doubles: 38-18.
Last but certainly not least, we have Mr. Heidrich. Peeta went 20-8 during his senior year, and capped his career with a bang, earning a bid to NCAAs. At NCAAs, Heidrich and Palmer Campbell made a run to the semifinals before falling to the eventual champions (Wood & Dorn, CMS). In the process, Heidrich (and Campbell) earned All American status, which is a pretty sweet way to top off your career, especially after playing zero significant matches over his first two years. It’s guys like Heinrich, who work hard at a particular aspect of their game, that should be inspirations to every guy struggling to make the lineup. See kids, you can be an All American too. Thank you, Peter.