The Middlebury Journey

Another team year has come to an end. And with most years, that brings a totally new champion to the table on the Men’s side. This year happens to be no different. Every year, we crown a new set of players, a unique team that’s different than any other team from any other year. It’s true – the chemistry between players changes year after year, the experiences are different, and that’s what makes every season special. This year, we crown the 2018 version of Middlebury Panthers.  And with that trophy comes my annual “Journey” article, where I take you through the journey of some of the most important pieces of Middlebury, and most importantly their seniors. I have a lot to say about DIII Tennis in general, but let’s make this article about a couple of Middlebury guys that have been through thick and thin, a coach who took on a new challenge, and a couple of others who have their own interesting paths to a championship.

The 2018 Middlebury Panthers prominently featured 3 seniors – William de Quant, Kyle Schlanger, and Timo Van der Geest. All three have played key spots in both singles and doubles over their careers, with the man named WDQ playing as high as #2 singles, while Kyle Schlanger (should I say #SchlangBang) establishing himself as a key middle of the lineup player and top doubles player. Schlanger, in fact, is still in the doubles individuals tournament happening right now. Can you believe that none of these players has ever won a championship before? If not, you should. I will say it year after year – it’s unbelievably hard to win a championship. You need luck, you need skill, you need improvement, and you need a lot of things to go your way. Think of all the good seniors out there that will never lift the first place trophy. So, yea, you should appreciate what these players have done to reach the pinnacle of DIII Tennis. It’s always going to be a good story, and it’s always going to be one that takes multiple years to tell. After all, this isn’t Kentucky basketball. Let’s flashback to the 2014-2015 season, where these current seniors started their careers.

2014-2015 Season

We begin our story in the 2014-2015 Season, where Middlebury looked way different than they do today. At this point, Coach Bob Hansen has been at the head of the Middlebury team for 3 years already, and some people were getting antsy about when this well-respected coach would turn this Panthers team into an absolute juggernaut. I mean, he did the same thing at UC Santa Cruz, so why not Middlebury? Coach Hansen brought in a pretty stellar class for this year (comparative to the time), bringing in a couple of big recruits, as listed below:

• Noah Farrell, #88 in the Nation, 4 Star Recruit

• Kyle Schlanger, #181 in the Nation, 4 Star Recruit

• William de Quant, #306 in the Nation, 3 Star Recruit

• Timo van der Geest, International Recruit

Much was expected out of these four to start off the year, but the recruits quickly learned that DIII wasn’t necessarily as easy as some might believe. Only Noah Farrell started off in the lineup, placing at #2 singles, while Schlanger, de Quant, and TVG all took turns trying to sneak into the bottom of the lineup. Here’s a fun fact – in their first Spring Break match against UC Santa Cruz, none of the above 3 played in the singles portion. In fact, WDQ took a loss at #3 doubles. Middlebury actually had a great year this year, despite a 9-0 loss to Amherst in the regular season, the Panthers began to find their way close to the playoffs – they won the NESCAC Title, beat Bowdoin in the Sweet 16, and took out a solid Trinity TX team and a talented Chicago team on their way to a surprising NCAA Finals appearance. In the finals, they ran into that souped up CMS team that everyone always talks about and lost by the score of 5-0. What a run it was for these freshmen – it turns out that Farrell ended the year at #2, WDQ ended the year at #5 singles, and Schlanger ended the year at #6 singles. That steady improvement as the year went on is something that these guys have consistently done year after year. You will see. Oh, and by the way, an interesting result from the Sweet 16 – Gil Roddy of Bowdoin crushed Schlanger, 6-2, 6-2, at #6 singles. Interesting stuff.

2015-2016 Season

Middlebury went into the 2015-2016 Season as slight favorites to win it all. They were just coming off an amazing finals appearance, were returning most, if not all, of their team members, and were buoyed by the fact that Noah Farrell was one of the best players in the nation after a great summer. They pretty much cruised through most of the season, expect one very tough loss to CMS on the road. The rest of the way, however, Middlebury was undefeated – they cruised through tough opponents with relative ease, and were on their way to a NESCAC Title. In fact, they beat Bowdoin twice on their way to the NESCAC championship, once in the regular season and once in the NESCAC tournament. Things were shaping up to be a fantastic season for the Panthers – they were either favorites or co-favorites with Emory to be the champions at the end of the year.

At this time, Farrell was playing #1, WDQ was playing #4 singles and #3 doubles, Kyle Schlanger was playing #3 doubles, and TVG was playing #6 singles. Our current senior class was starting to get some more experience in big time matches. Anyways, things were going swimmingly in the NCAA Tournament for the Panthers – they ousted Chicago again in the semifinals behind some big wins by WDQ at #4 singles and #3 doubles (with Schlanger), Farrell was dealing at #1 singles and #2 doubles, and they had Coach Hansen on the sidelines. Not to mention, they were playing a foe they had beaten already twice that year – Bowdoin. Bowdoin had survived match points against Johns Hopkins in the Elite 8 and then shocked the previously undefeated Emory Eagles in the semifinals. After 5 years of Hansen tutelage, this had to be the year that the Panthers won it all, right? Wrong.

Bowdoin shocked the world once again, and they came out and did something they had not done all year against Middlebury – take a doubles lead. And not only did they take a doubles lead, they swept Middlebury in quick fashion. Very quick fashion.

http://athletics.middlebury.edu/sports/mten/2015-16/files/BOWNCAAF.xtg

After the sweep, there really wasn’t much hope for the Panthers. Bowdoin was loaded with talent and a few seniors that were doing their thing. However, Farrell was in three sets with Tercek at #1, WDQ was leading his match at #4 singles, and Schlanger was battling at #6 singles with current Bowdoin #1 Grant Urken. A lesson was learned today – not only about the importance of doubles, but the fact that anything can happen in the playoffs. Again, you need luck, skill, development, and a lot of things to go your way. Middlebury found out that you don’t just walk into a championship and get handed the trophy. It was taken away from them in 2016.

2016-2017 Season

This season was a bit more of a challenge for the Panthers. This is the year that they were blessed with the transfer of Lubomir Cuba, who previously played at Michigan but apparently decided that Middlebury was more for him. Which, I don’t blame him for. But, the season also began with the news that previous #1 player Noah Farrell would not be joining the team for other reasons, that will not be discussed here. So, the Panthers went into this year as contenders for the title, but again, things would have to go right. WDQ stepped up big time and slotted in at the #2 slot behind Cuba, Schlanger began to become a force at #4 singles, and TVG filled in at #5 singles with some mostly solid play. In fact, Middlebury exacted revenge on the Bowdoin Polar Bears in the regular season by taking them out 6-3, behind wins from Schlanger at #4 and WDQ and TVG at #1 and #3 doubles, respectively.

However, due to the loss of Farrell for the year, Middlebury wasn’t the juggernaut that they should have been. They took an L to Wesleyan in the regular season, and then eventually fell in the NESCAC tournament to who else, but Bowdoin. Something about this year just seemed like it was doomed from the start, and the Panthers ended up making the Final Four before bowing out in a very close match to the CMS Stags. Oh, and a little bit about this match? Middlebury swept the doubles and the teams were playing indoors. CMS had made a living that year coming back from sweeps, but to do it in the Final Four was absolutely epic. In this match, Hull took out WDQ in straight sets, Macey removed Schlanger in straight sets as well, and Park of CMS clinched over TVG in one of the more epic Final Four matches we’ve ever seen. If you think these Middlebury guys haven’t been through every possible way to lose, you’re mistaken. Throughout three years, they’d been crushed by a team better than them (CMS, 2015), shocked by a team of destiny (Bowdoin, 2016), and had their souls crushed in a comeback (CMS, 2017). Going into this year, the question loomed – will this team finally be ready to take it all the way?

2017-2018 Season

And we move into this season, where Middlebury entered once again as the championship favorites. Why? Noah Farrell was back to play #2 singles behind the best player in the nation. WDQ would be slotted in at #3 after having a fantastic year at #2. Schlanger would continue to play a terrific #4 singles, and Coach Hansen brought in a couple of young guns to fill out the rest of the lineup. The championship should be easy, right? Championships aren’t easy. Didn’t I tell you that before?

Middlebury started their year off in incredibly disappointing fashion. Losses to Williams (5-4) and a beatdown by CMS (8-1) dropped this team to #7 in our Power Rankings at one point. #7 for the team that was unanimously the favorite going into the year?! Conversation about the overrating of Coach Hansen and the underachieving of Middlebury dominated this Blog. It was almost like for just one last time, the Panthers had to be reminded that you don’t just walk into a title. And then, the season turned around.

Drubbings of Emory (7-2) and Amherst (7-2) put the DIII world on notice. An anticipated matchup with Bowdoin in the NESCAC finals pitted the two top teams in the nation against each other. This time, Bowdoin beat Middlebury once again to put a little bit more doubt in our minds about whether this Middlebury team could get it done.

We then moved to the NCAA Tournament, where Middlebury was blessed with a Whitman upset of GAC, and the Panthers easily took out the Blues in the quarterfinals. However, it stopped getting easy there. Emory was back for revenge and took a quick 2-1 lead on the Panthers. With their singles prowess, this one was going to be close. Cuba and Farrell notched two big victories for the Panthers at the top, but Midd was going to need a couple of big wins at the bottom. One of them came from Kyle Schlanger. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard about Schlanger’s record in big matches in the Blog Group Chat, but I guess you can say that 4 years have given Kyle a little more ice in his veins. #SchlangBang (i hate saying this, I’m sorry) iced Bouchet in a third set, 6-1, to give Middlebury a huge win en route to taking out a spirited Emory team. And onto the finals we went… where a familiar face loomed. The Bowdoin Polar Bears.

Middlebury had already lost to Bowdoin this year AND Bowdoin has generally played the best all year long. The Panthers were definitely the underdog here, but a team that has been through this much, with seniors that have been through this much, are certainly going to give it their all. Midd came out firing and took a 2-1 lead on their NESCAC rival, with Schlanger and TVG(!) notching doubles wins at their spots. Nice to get a contribution there from the seniors. In singles, the two true seniors continued to battle it out. WDQ went three with Wolfe, and Schlanger was in a three set battle with Jerry Jiang, one of the more clutch players on the Bears roster. Of course, with Middlebury up 4-3, it came down to two three setters – WDQ on one court, Schlanger on the other. Middlebury just needed one. In a back and forth affair on both courts, Schlanger broke at 4-3 with some extremely clutch points to again serve for the match. Just a quick reminder – Schlanger had a championship point in the second set and lost it. So, nerves I am sure were very real. But, after four years of situations, we all know what happened.

That NCAA Championship-winning moment for @middtennis! @NESCAC #GoMidd pic.twitter.com/Y4NcKx69kc

— Middlebury Athletics (@MiddAthletics) May 23, 2018

And nothing will really explain what these guys have been through, but of course I have to throw this in.

Kyle Schlanger, senior

— d3AtlanticSouth (@d3AtlanticSouth) May 23, 2018

(I believe I heard this statement yelled many times at CMS by the way, so shoutout to all you blog followers!)

What that tweet should really say is:

William de Quant, Senior. Kyle Schlanger, Senior. Timo van der Geest, Senior.

All three of these guys have been through the ringer – and you can tell how much it meant to them. WDQ broke down in tears after winning, and I’m all for that. After four years of each and every which situation, these senior Panthers were finally National Champions.

FIN

And that is the story of these Middlebury seniors. In my many years of blogging for this ridiculous blog, I’ve seen many senior stories, championship and non championship ones. But this one really sticks out to me. I have no connection to Middlebury whatsoever, and sometimes I may even hate on them – but these three guys have been through a lot (you can add Farrell in too). All different kinds of wins, losses, season beginnings, etc. I can’t imagine what I’d feel if my second best player was out for a year. Or to sweep in the Final Four and get upset. But, at the end of the day, it’s now worth it for these players. We’re talking about players who played at the bottom of the lineup and are now forces in the middle. WDQ developed his game to become one of the top singles players in the nation. Schlanger was a rock at #4 after not playing almost all his freshman year. So once again, we see how dedication, hard work, and passion for the game again works out. Funny how that works, right? Doesn’t matter who you are, what team you play for. The journey is real. So, congratulations once again to the Middlebury Panthers, and congratulations and best of luck to the three seniors this article focused on: William de Quant, Kyle Schlanger, and Timo van der Geest. I am sure you learned a lot from your four years playing tennis for Middlebury. You all had fantastic careers, and we are happy to send you off on a championship note. We shall see some of the Panthers next year, but we’ll worry about that when the time comes. Onto real life. ASouth, OUT.