This Week In West: Team Recaps and A Tribute To Seniors

Tennis fans, it’s been a great season. A West region team won the national championship for the first time since 2009, when a senior-laden Hansen-led team got hot on the doubles court and swept their way to a national championship. This Middlebury team looked to do the same after sweeping the Tigers, but the Stags were having none of that, and I could not be happier for them. It’s always gratifying to see a team of seniors kick it up one more notch in their last year to achieve their ultimate goal. To all the Stags and especially Coach Settles, I issue my sincerest, heartfelt congratulations. I will talk more about you guys at the end, but the goal of this article is to pay tribute to the incredible seniors in the West region that have made the DIII community so enjoyable to be a part of the past six years. I’ll leave Pacific and Chapman to my regional colleague since this will be a long article as it is, and go down the list of my ranked West region teams.

8. Cal Lutheran

Overall, this was not a great season for Cal Lu. They missed Treacy on the doubles court all season, and suffered for it. Their signature win came in early February when they fought back from a 2-4 hole to beat Brandeis on their home courts. While that is the sort of fight we’ve come to expect out of the Kingsmen, they missed out on a few big opportunities later in the year, most notably losing to Mary Wash 5-4 after sweeping doubles. That being said, they did quite well for themselves with a depleted lineup. They were very consistent, and never lost to a team that they were clearly better than. I only hope that Coach Gennette can pull a few more recruiting rabbits out of his hat because Cal Lu will need them next year if they want to avoid Whittier’s fate.

Jesse Knight, Sr. – Knight was never a prominent player in Cal Lu’s singles lineup, but man could he play some dubs. His opus magnum probably came this year when he and Cardenas absolutely throttled Liu and Sabada from Chicago. They weren’t quite consistent enough to qualify for nationals, but when it all came together it was beautiful to watch.

Andrew Slater, Sr. – Slater, a transfer, hasn’t been around DIII long, but he was a serviceable #6 singles player this season. He saved Cal Lu from disaster by winning 7-5 in the 3rd against Chapman this year. He also teamed with Valdez to notch a win over Chicago and give Cal Lu a 2-1 lead.

Moises Cardenas, Sr. – My only complaint about Cardenas has always been that he came around one year two late. Pair him with Ballou and Worley, and Cal Lu would’ve been a national championship contender. Instead, he was merely one of the most feared singles players in the entire country for the past two years. This year alone, he beat Marino in the Ojai to prevent him from qualifying for nationals, toppled Krull in one of the few matches the transfer lost all season to put a charge into Trinity, and upset Kjellberg in the first round of nationals to earn himself some well-deserved all-American honors. This guy absolutely would not beat himself, and he made it really hard for you to beat him. He will be sorely missed by Cal Lu.

7. UC Santa Cruz

I’ve always loved me some Slugs, but this was a tough year for Cruz. They started off by going 0-3 in Walla Walla and just barely missed getting their one top 10 win that could’ve put them in the top 20. Against Kenyon, they lost 7-6 in the 3rd at #6 singles with their opponent using a borrowed racquet. Against P-P, they lost 6-3 in the 3rd at 5 with their opponent using a borrowed racquet. That’s some weird juju, but those matches were also indicative of the potential that this Cruz team had. If they had stayed healthy and had a good coach around, they maybe could’ve done some damage, but it wasn’t to be. Even amongst the throngs of great seniors in the West, these particular seniors deserve mad respect for keeping this team together and helping them come up with the wins they needed to avoid becoming the first Cruz team to drop out of the top 30.

Garret Deguchi and Max Littlejohn, Srs. – TEAM OF DESTINY. That will always be the first thing I think about when I hear these two names. After Cruz graduated basically their whole team in 2013, these two put a little pep in Cruz’ step by coming out of nowhere to win the California ITA Regional championship. It was awesome. Other than that, these two have had very different careers.

Deguchi, a transfer, had his season marred by injuries this year, but he’s an all-American, and you can never take that away from him.

Littlejohn is your quintessential Cruz player. The two-star worked his way into a star-studded lineup, playing some #3 dubs with Nuremberg in 2012 and a solid #2 doubles with Bettwy in 2013. In 2014, he really came into his own. He obviously was part of the TEAM OF DESTINY but he was also one of the best #2 singles players in the country playing behind Scandalis and finished his junior year in a flurry by teaming with Richter to make the semis of the Ojai and beating Butts/Kotrappa at team nationals at #2 doubles. This season, he was hindered by multiple injuries, but he was still an emotional leader for the team, and came up with a few huge wins, most notably against Kenyon and Middlebury at #1 doubles. It’s always a little sad to see a DIII success story like Littlejohn go, but I respect the heck out of him for making the best of a tough situation in Cruz the last couple of years. Bon voyage, Big Man. Littlejohn.

6. UT-Tyler

I hate to dwell on The One That Got Away, but Tyler’s 5-4 loss to Wash U really showed what the Pats are all about. In that match, they came within one 7-9 doubles loss from sweeping the eventual #3 team in the country in doubles. In that match, Budd, a former 1-star recruit, took out Carswell, a highly ranked 4-star by winning a tiebreak second set and then a 10-pointer. Energy. Heart. Development. These are the words I think of when I think of Tyler, and it had never been more true than this season. They may or may finish outside the top 25, but these guys were fun to watch, and I’m sure they are on their way back up.

Drew Reid, Sr. – Reid never played a huge role in Tyler’s lineup, but he was always a hard worker and had a few shining moments. Probably the best match of his career came in the first round of the 2012 Southwest ITA when he beat Connor Dunn in a 10-pointer. He would advance to the Round of 16 before losing to Ybarra. Not bad for a guy that barely sniffed the starting lineup.

Chris Wootton, Sr. – OLD MAN WOOTTON!!! This guy is obviously one of the blog favorites. To put the record straight, he is actually 39 years old. He has a daughter, and he made the Academic All-ASC team for the past two years. He went undefeated in West region doubles play this season despite being completely incapable of hitting a passable kick serve due to back surgeries, and he’s kind of a baller. Unforunately, he and Fischer’s journey ended in a 3-set loss to Wash U (great match) in the first round of NCAA’s, but I fully expect to see the old T-10 next to his name in the national rankings in a couple weeks for him to earn all-American honors. He’s a scholar and a gentleman. All the best moving forward.

Harry Kelleher, Sr. – Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! To my undying shame, I somehow left out the dreamy man from Down Under in my original post. A quick perusal of this paragraph will show you what a colossal error that was. Kelleher was a huge part of the engine that made Tyler run for the past couple years in terms of energy and leadership. He was also far and away their strongest singles position this year with straight-set wins over Kratky, Neiss, Rico, and Maassen. Kroiky those are some nice wins. Though he didn’t have the wins to show for it this year, he was also a fine doubles player, as he and Woot were in the running for nationals at #1 last year. When he transferred in as a junior, he brought much needed depth and size to Tyler’s lineup, and I’m sure Coach Bizot’s only regret is that he couldn’t have him for the full four years.

5. Whitman

We (mostly the other bloggers, I would have it be known) were very harsh on Whitman over Spring Break this year after they had some difficulty adjusting to the California heat. Ultimately, this season’s Fighting Squirrel team is a great coming-of-age tale. They probably got a little cocky after going undefeated at home against Tyler, Cruz, and Redlands; got humbled by some more experienced teams over break; hit rock bottom when they almost lost to Pacific on their home courts; and climbed from the abyss to play their best tennis at the end of the year. Just like many coming-of-age sports tales (I’m thinking about Coach Carter and Friday Night Lights), the story ended in heartbreak at Wash U, but these guys came closer to putting Whitman in the Elite Eight than any team before them, and the future is very bright for these young freshmen and sophomores. With a year of college-level fitness under their belts, hopefully they can really work hard over the summer as Whitman tends to do. Without Rivers and Malesovas, their main job will be to find their emotional center next year, but I’m optimistic. Remember how the closing credits to Friday Night Lights said they wont he championship the next season? Also, Hewlin is a stud. Keep working hard, my man.

James Rivers, Sr. – The Flying Hawaiian. I will always remember James Rivers for going to back-to-back Fall ITA doubles finals with La Cava. I tended to give La Cava most of the credit for those runs, but Rivers proved that he was much more than Robin to La Cava’s Batman with his fantastic run at #1 doubles this year playing with Malesovas. The dude finished his career by coming back from a 2-6 deficit against Putterman/Bush in the Sweet Sixteen to put Whitman #ontop and give the Squirrels a chance. It wasn’t to be, but that’s not a bad way to go out.

Colton Malesvoas, Sr. – It’s hard not to love Malesvoas’ story. 2-star freshman out of Texas didn’t even start his freshman year then wins the Regional ITA his sophomore year and plays #1 singles and doubles ever since. His first two years at #1, he lost a lot more than he won, but he always seemed to come up big at the end of the year. This past year, he was a great #1 singles player. His epic 3rd-set tiebreaker win over Lipscomb was the first time he beat a top-tier player in the regular season, and it sealed Whitman’s biggest win of the regular season over Redlands. He also beat Carswell at the end of the year to tie the match 4-4, and will finish his career without ever having lost a singles match at team nationals. I hope to see him finish with all-American honors for third year in a row (let’s give him the old T-20).

4. Redlands

Redlands was one Lipscomb service game from making the NCAA tournament this year. If they had beaten Bowdoin, they would’ve made it, but that just would’ve earned them a first-round rematch with Pomona-Pitzer anyways. The real story of Redlands’ season is them getting over the close-match hump in dramatic fashion. Lipscomb’s 3rd-set tiebreaker win emphatically catapulted the close-match monkey off his back, allowed Redlands to finish 2nd in the SCIAC for the first time in at least 5 years, and sealed their place in the top 15. They also came up clutch against Wesleyan, and had a nice 6-3 win over Mary Washington that looked better and better as the year progressed. It’s always sad that deserving teams don’t get to go to nationals, but this was a very positive season for Redlands, and I hope they can somehow reload next year and keep a strong tradition alive. No pressure, Little Lipscomb.

Max Licona, Ted Burchett, Taylor Hunt, Graham Leahy, and Teddy Jones, Srs. – These guys are all part of the epic 2011 Redlands class that was supposed to bring the Bulldogs to the promised land. Anyone could’ve guessed that such a class was too large to maintain, but these guys saw it through and all had their moments in the sun.

Licona didn’t have a great senior year, but he has been a staple in the Redlands doubles lineup since he showed up on campus. He had too many big wins to count, but the one that sticks out in my memory the most is the time he and Jones beat Weichert and Wei at the SCIACs to avoid a sweep against the red-hot Hens. Though the Dawgs ended up losing that match, everyone in the world expected Redlands to go away after losing the first two doubles matches pretty quickly, and these guys fought valiantly.

Unlike some of his contemporaries, Burchett really came into his own at the end of his career. He debuted in the singles lineup as a junior after beating Jon Kim at the ITAs, but his best results came in doubles. He and Leahy were a force at #2 this year, winning 10 matches against ranked teams. They also beat Marino and Hull to make the semis of the Ojai before falling to Wood and Dorn. Not bad.

Taylor Hunt’s last two years at Redlands were unfortunately less productive due mostly to injuries, but he had a prolific beginning to his career. As a freshman, he snuck in at the bottom of the lineup and even won a great match against Alex Johnson from CMS. His sophomore year was far and away his best. Playing at #4 singles, he won 12 matches in a row at one point, a stretch that included wins over Frankie Allinson, Spencer Lunghino, Zach Weiss, Connor Treacy, and Alex Lane. Holy crap. This was the reason you probably caught me wondering “What happened to Taylor Hunt?” more times than I probably should’ve over the past could years.

For the past two years, Leahy has been very consistent for Redlands at the bottom of the lineup. He doesn’t miss a lot of balls, and he’s a better fighter than most. Earlier this season, he won 8 matches in a row, including a 3-set victory over Daniels from Wesleyan that clinched a 5-4 win to keep their season alive. He finished his singles career with a straight-set win over Simonides, which is a fantastic way to go out. As good as he was in singles, he was probably even better in doubles. I already talked about his results with Burchett at #2 this year, but throughout 2014 and 2013, he and Lipscomb made a very strong #1 doubles team, narrowly missing nationals in 2013. His doubles returns were always fearsome, and his on court antics were always appreciated.
Jones didn’t see much court time this year, but prior to this season, he was always a reliable presence in the doubles lineup. He mostly played with Licona and Cummins, picking up many great wins along the way (much like his teammates). His shining moment probably came in 2014 when he and Cummins won back-to-back doubles matches against Wash U and Emory. A nice serve and solid hands, most teams could use another player like him on their roster.

Nick Cummins, Sr. – I had to single these last two seniors out for special recognition. Cummins has been one of the best #2 singles players in the country for the better part of the last three seasons. Last year alone, he notched wins over names like La Cava, CHS, Haugen, and Weiss before his season was unfortunately cut short by an ACL injury. That all makes this season that much more impressive. Playing with a mid-sized minivan on his knee, he went 17-4 at #2 singles with a slew of impressive victories. He and Lipscomb also put together their best doubles season together, qualifying for nationals and coming back from down a set and a break to win their first round match against Mary Washington. This win earned Cummins his first all-American honors, and I’m very glad that such a decorated senior could finish his career on such a high note. He was always an all-American in my book, but now they’ll give him a little certificate too, which probably counts for a little bit more.

Pat Lipscomb, Sr. – St. Patty busted onto the DIII tennis scene his freshman year by winning the first 12 singles matches he played at #1 singles, a stretch that included wins over UCSC, Vangaurd, Hayden White, Timmy Berg, and Max Frey. Younger readers might not recognize those names, but he was basically beating DIII legends in his first month as a player. He never looked back from there. He was a four-year singles all-American and NCAA qualifier, two-time Ojai semifinalist, two-time NCAA singles quarterfinalist, and now a NCAA doubles quarterfinalist and all-American. His matches with Wood were frequently among the best tennis I’ve seen played at the DIII level. His serve and forehand were the envy of many-a-player, and he lifted his team time and time again. Without him and Cummins, I honestly don’t know if Redlands is a top 20 team for the past four years. At the very least, he goes down as a West-region legend. Congrats on a great career.

3. Trinity (TX)

Trinity’s season was ultimately derailed by their inability to come up with a reliable doubles lineup, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a resounding success. They came back from a 1-2 deficit on the road to make the Elite Eight yet again, so they should get a banner that will look really nice next to their ITA Indoor National Championship trophy. I know it wasn’t the finish these seniors envisioned for themselves, but they have a lot to be proud of. Obviously, they won Indoors, but I am always more impressed by the way they compete. The best example of the way they fight in every single match was probably their Elite Eight loss to Middlebury. After going down 0-3 in doubles, it was obviously that their chances of winning the match were slim, but they came out firing and took four first sets in singles. Only when the match was decided did they stop fighting, and it was tough to see those seniors’ careers end that way, but I’m sure they’ll look back on this season with fond memories.

Charlie Curtis, Sr. – The Two Hander of Destiny has many feathers in his cap, but here are a few that stick out in my mind: looking for an easy win after going up 2-1 against Wash U in last year’s Elite Eight, Curtis went out there and routined Kevin Chu to put TU on the brink of victory. Two days later, he came up big again in a second set tiebreaker against Frons to give Trinity a top 3 finish for the first time in recent memory. This season, he didn’t do much except go undefeated at Indoors to give TU their first Indoor national championship, a stretch which included a comeback victory over Erik Lim to clinch the match against Hopkins. In doubles, he was always winning big matches at the bottom of the lineup; he and Neiss were probably the best #3 team in the country last year. Curtis frequently made deep runs into the Southwest ITA in both singles and doubles, including a finals appearance last year. A consumate competitor and sportsman: congratulations.

Jordan Mayer, Sr. – Mayer is another guy that I just can’t even list the number of times he’s come up huge for his team. Playing at #5 singles, he lost just one DIII match last season (a heartbreaker to Yaraghi in the NCAA semis), and bounced back from his one loss for a huge win over Mountfield the next day. He had similar seasons at the bottom of the lineup his freshman and sophomore years, and still managed to be a very solid #3 singles player this season, memorably clinching a victory against Whitman 7-6 in the 3rd at the Stag-Hen among many other great wins. Ohbytheway, he also teamed with Skinner to win the ITA doubles NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP this Fall, winning three 10-pointers along the way including an epic 14-12 win over teammates Krull and Deuell in the finals of their regional. Another all-American: congratulations.

Aaron Skinner, Sr. – Skinner skinner, chicken dinner. The Arm Sleeve came out of nowhere his sophomore year to win the ITA Fall National Singles championship. In his wake, he left a trail of DIII greats: Ybarra, Malesovas, Adam Putterman, Andy Hersch, and Big Shot Bob Kjellberg. Later that year, he underhand-served his way to another win over Kjellberg in a very enjoyable match to watch, and later made it to the semifinals of NCAAs. His career has been plagued by injuries, but he still made it great. He’s the only person I can think of who has ever won the ITA triple crown: an achievement I just invented that includes an ITA Fall singles national championship, an ITA Fall doubles national championship, and an ITA Indoors team national championship. It was always a pleasure to watch him find ways to win matches without getting any free points from his serve. Congratulations!

2. Pomona-Pitzer

Pomona-Pitzer had a season eerily similar to the Cal Lu seasons of the past couple years. They got hot in March, notched a bunch of huge victories, but then got a little tired and a lot injured and finished the season by losing to CMS. That being said, this season was nothing like those Cal Lu seasons. Cal Lu was never able to sweep the NESCAC (minus Bates) and the UAA. Cal Lu never won 10 5-4 matches, and that doesn’t even include Pomona-Pitzer’s 6-3 wins over Amherst and Williams or their 7-2 wins over Trinity (CT), Trinity (TX), and Case Western. They beat 18 ranked teams, 13 top 20 teams, 4 of the teams that made it to the Elite Eight, and 2 of the teams that made it to the Final Four. In March alone, they beat 14 ranked teams. That’s insane. Outside of Johns Hopkins, they came closer than anyone else to beating CMS. They did it all as a team, not by relying on one person to win matches for them, but by getting victories up and down the lineup day in and day out (11 different players won big singles matches in these wins against top 20 teams). It’s easy to forget how magic their March was because this season’s ultimate fate was basically decided before it even began, but I don’t think we’ll ever see anything quite like it ever again.

Kevin Wei, Sr. – K Wei didn’t have a great season, but two years ago, he was one of the better #6 singles players in the country. I will always remember him for winning the Buffalo Wild Wings match, coming back from down 0-5 in the 3rd set with the match tied 4-4 against Wisconsin-Whitewater after the lights had inexplicably gone out to clinch a season-saving victory. This season, I thought he was going to get back in the lineup after be beat Suchodolski in the fall and lost to Cardenas in 3, but he got stuck in the revolving door. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic career!

Connor Sutton, Sr. – The other Connor went abroad in the Fall of his junior year and never quite got back in his groove, but he and Hudson were once one of the better #2 doubles teams in the country. Their sophomore years, they went 12-7 against some very stiff competition including a tiebreaker victory over Butts/Kotrappa that had the Hens thinking about an upset. The danger with such a large roster is that once you lose it, you might not get another chance, and that’s exactly what happened to Sutton with the Hens doubles lineup playing so well this season. Either way, he made some great memories throughout his career.

Michael Chang, Sr. – At the blog, we’ve got a soft spot for Chang for his contributions to the Hen House. He didn’t see much action this season, but he was part of the Revolving Door that was so successful for Pomona-Pitzer last year. When he got in the lineup, he did quite well, with his two best wins coming against Whitman and Chicago at #6. The former was a 3-setter that lifted his team to a crucial 5-4 win, the latter was a tight 11-9 win in a 10-pointer, also coming in a team victory. Before I move on to Chuddy, I should mention that these guys’ contributions to the team could not be measured in matches. They were leaders in the classroom and on the court, and they weren’t selfish about court time. They didn’t complain about the Revolving Door, as some seniors might have. They didn’t gripe for court time. They were always looking out for the team, and they were as much a part of this teams’ success as anyone else.

Connor Hudson, Sr. – And then there’s Chuddy, His Chuddliness, The Chuddley Cannon. Hudson is another one of those feel-good DIII stories. The 2-star out of Colorado started low in the lineup and worked his way up slowly but surely. His senior year, it all came together, and it was beautiful. Massive serve and feathery hands, he teamed with Cadalavada to win the ITA Fall Doubles Regional in epic fashion over Wood and Marino 7-6 in the third before advancing all the way to the finals. Once the season started, he continually lifted his team to new heights. He didn’t have an unblemished record, but he always seemed to win when his team needed him most. From his massive 3rd set over Trinka, to is 2 and 0 drubbing of Chua, to his straight-set win over Wood, he had a great season in both singles and doubles, qualifying for nationals in both. My only hope for him is to see the T-20 next to his name in the end-of-season rankings, so he can be a singles all-American in addition to the doubles honors that he already earned. A great career for a great leader; I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

1. CMS

Last but certainly not least, there’s the Stags. They just got a whole new article from D3AtlanticSouth, but I have to chime in with my two cents: I never really bought in to the whole “CMS can’t finish” mantra. I do believe that they choked a bit in 2010, 2011, and 2012, but I don’t think the last two years were chokes by any stretch of the imagination. In 2013, they lost to a Williams team that they had barely beaten on their home courts, Indoors, without their #1 singles player (incidentally, not enough is made of Pereverzin’s heroic effort at #1 doubles that weekend. Dude came off the bench to go 2-1 at #1 doubles with two tiebreaker victories. Ridiculous.) In 2014, they lost to an Amherst team that they had previously beaten 6-3 without two of their starters. It should not have been surprising that the team was better when they added those guys back in.

This year, the Stags were not to be denied, and I think they turned in the most dominant championship season of the past decade. Even Middlebury’s undefeated season had a couple 5-4’s. No team ever got more than three matches off the Stags. They were dominant from start to finish. As D3AS pointed out, Settles made some championship adjustments that I think made all the difference:

1. They didn’t play every single team that went down to Claremont. As we can see from P-P, this can take a toll on a team, but these Stags were fresher at the end of the season than they’ve ever been

2. They traveled. I’ve always thought that Redlands/P-P/CMS/Cal Lu were doing themselves a disservice by not traveling. Not only does traveling help teams learn how to prepare on the road, but it also brings them closer together. CMS has made trips before (to Hawaii and Walla Walla), but this East Coast trip seemed more like a true “Spring Break Tennis Trip” to me rather than a vacation. You just can’t replicate the sort of bonding that goes on in hotel rooms (not that sort of bonding, get your head out of the gutter).

3. They got loud. AS alluded to people being hard on CMS for not being loud enough. I’m not ashamed to admit that I was chief among these detractors. When you tell your players to “put the blinders on,” you might be able to protect yourself from negative influences, but you also lose the positive influence teammates and fans can have, which is ultimately the difference between playing a team tennis match and playing 6 singles matches at the same time. CMS has always been one of the most respectful teams out there, but this year, they got loud the right way and I think that lifted them to the national title.

As important as the coaching adjustments were, there’s just no substitute for seniors. We’ve seen for the past several years, that championship teams tend to be loaded with seniors, and, even when there are fewer seniors (as was the case with the 2012 Emory team), the seniors that are there are the ones that lead the team to victory. You cannot fabricate the desire for victory that comes with knowing it’s your last time taking the court with your team. That more than any other reason is why I’m happy to see this team succeed. Now to honor the seniors…

Cameron Bernhardt, Sr. – When this vaunted CMS class showed up on campus, I actually thought Bernhardt might have been the best among them. He made an impression right away when he advanced to the quarters of ITAs before losing to Alex Lane 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 in about four hours. Sadly, injury after injury ended his collegiate tennis career, but he still stuck around with the team, and I hope he gets some satisfaction out of seeing these guys win. I’ll always wonder what might have been with him in the lineup the last three years.

Nik Marino, Sr. – Nik has to be one of my favorite players in DIII. He’s always a hoot to watch on the court, and he was never selfish. He had no problem playing #3 for three years despite being one of the better players in all of DIII, and when he did get mad, he did it in the nicest way possible. For a brief moment, he was the CMS career leader in singles wins, but finishing 2nd with 108 wins ain’t bad either. As a #3 singles player, he made the semifinals of NCAAs his junior year, and the first set of that match against Fritz was some of the best DIII tennis I’ve ever seen. Every time one player hit a great shot, the other guy answered. Fritz ultimately broke Marino late in the set with three consecutive unbelievable passing shots, but it was a great match nonetheless. Obviously, the other lasting memory will be him putting the team on his back and roaring back from a 4-7 deficit at 3 doubles in the national championship match to get the sweep. He’s not your classic doubles player, but that was a clutch way to finish out a career. Singles all-American, Ojai finalist, NCAA champion: Nik Marino, congratulations.

Joe Dorn, Sr. – The Hammer of Dorn. I remember when I heard that Dorn had transferred to CMS, I thought “they got another one?” Playing #2 singles and #1 doubles most of the way, Dorn was a stud throughout his career. He too was a team player and didn’t mind playing #4 his senior year after coming back from abroad, where he dominated. When asked to play #1 singles with Wood out of the lineup in 2013, he never lost and won at #1 in the national championship match, which merely illustrated what he would’ve been capable of if given the chance to shine at the top spot. His backhand return in particular terrified me as a player and awed me as an observer. His facial hair is the stuff of legend. ITA doubles champion, NCAA singles semifinalist, NCAA doubles champion, NCAA team champion: Joe Dorn. Congratulations.

Warren Wood, Sr. – The Deathstick. The Elderwood. My only regret is that we didn’t come up with these nicknames sooner. Wood entered DIII as a 5-star and immediately played #1 singles and doubles throughout his career. He started his career as the classic “Highly-ranked recruit choosing DIII because he doesn’t really care about tennis all that much anymore.” He even dabbled in a little varsity soccer in high school. It’s always been difficult to read the dude on the court: how much does he care? Is he having any fun? This past year illustrated that there was more emotion beneath the surface than we knew. He tightened up the screws on his game immensely. His Deathstick returns always rattled opposing doubles players, but gone were the games of four wild returns leading to an easy hold. Mostly gone were the left-handed overheads. The electric backhands were still there, but he used them more judiciously and won with both consistency and overwhelming power rather than raw talent alone. Obviously, he has been making these changes incrementally over the past four seasons, but they were never more obvious than they were in his last week as a college tennis player.

He played his best, of course, in the team competition, going 6-0 against the best in the country without dropping a single set. When his team needed him most, he torched Buxbaum (who had lost to earlier in the season), and he put an exclamation point on his team career by trouncing Smolyar in the national championship match. In singles competition, he used his newfound control and patience to outlast Alla from CMU 2-6, 7-6, 6-2 in the only really close match he played en route to the national championship. In doubles, his newfound grit was on full display. Against Emory in the first round, he and Dorn were wild initially, but they pulled it together and came back from down a break in the 3rd set to win. In the finals, they managed to bounce back from second set tiebreaker loss before eventually winning 6-3, 6-7, 6-4. By winning the vaunted Triple Crown, Wood has etched his face onto the DIII tennis Mount Rushmore next to Seeburger and Butorac. His accomplishments are impossible to enumerate, but here are a few. First and foremost, he brought back the visor. It hadn’t been fashionable since Andy Roddick in 2002, and to bring it back really illustrates his clout. ITA Regional Doubles champion, Two-time Ojai singles champion, NCAA singles finalist, two-time NCAA team finalist, 4-time all-American, NCAA singles champion, NCAA doubles champion, NCAA team champion: Warren Wood.

Congrats to the Stags! Sorry to all the other regions for hogging all the national championships this year. We threw the Central region a bone with the ITA Fall Singles championship, but other than that, it was all West all year. #WestCoastBestCoast