2nd Annual Top 20 Teams of the Past Five Years

This is my season preview and the 2nd Annual Top 20 Teams of the Past Five Years. For those who want to reference last year’s article, the link is here: http://www.division3tennis.com/7148-2/

The rules of this are pretty simple. You need to be ranked in all five of the seasons examined and you need to have finished top 20 in at least one season between 2012 and 2016. I take the year-end ranking of each team and figure out an average ranking for each program. Before we begin, shoutout to Skidmore who would have been #19 on this last had they finished a season in the top 20. They have finishes of 22, 25, 22, 24 and 21 for an average of 22.8. Impressive consistency, but they were burned by UWW’s great 2016 season.

And a special addition: In honor of the 10th year of the blog, I have included a “best moment” for each program previewed.

20) Wisconsin-Whitewater – Average 24.2; 29, 24, 25, 26, 17

Whitewater is a newcomer to the 2017 rankings after a program-best finish of #17 last year that included the team’s first ever win over a top 10 program. UWW has always been a tough out as you can see from their four previous seasons in which they finished top 30. But last year was a big step forward for this hard-working program. The Warhawks have been a peer to Gustavus and continue to do so. They aren’t as talented as Midwestern peers Chicago, Wash U, Kenyon and Case, but they always manage to hang with these teams and are never an easy out. While last year was a landmark year, several of the bloggers are predicting a dip in the rankings back to the low 20s for UWW in 2017. UWW will look to use their formula of strong doubles and wins at the top of the lineup to remain competitive in 2017.

Best Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks Moment: 2011 NCAA Round of 32. This win put the Warhawks on the map as a serious D3 contender and a Central region powerhouse. UWW was up against a top 25 squad in Whitman in St. Louis and pulled an upset in convincing fashion as the regional #3 seed to advance to their first ever Sweet 16.

19) Bates – Average 22.6; 16, 23, 28, 21, 25

Bates moves up a spot from from last year’s rankings, still hanging on to their #16 finish in 2012. Things have not been easy for the Bobcats the last few seasons. They used to compete for 5th in the NESCAC with Trinity (CT) in most years, however Wesleyan and Tufts seem to have passed by both the Bobcats and Bantams. Bates comes in as the 5th best NESCAC program on this list, but they are probably on the outside looking in when it comes to the NESCAC tournament in 2017. Bates continues to be well-coached and field solid teams, but a lot of things need to go right for Gastonguay’s team to finish top 20 in 2017 and maintain their spot on this list. The Bobcats are always disciplined and will push most teams in the 10-20 range in the rankings, but they sometimes fall short when it comes to depth.

Best Bates Bobcats Moment: 2012 victory over Johns Hopkins. This is the biggest win for the Bates program in the past ten years, although they have beaten their rival Bowdoin numerous times. The 2012 Bates squad was outstanding, and knocked off #4 Johns Hopkins 7-2 in a dominating performance. Bates was ranked 29th at the time of this match and quickly moved into the top 20 after this win.

18) Mary Washington – Average 21.4; 21, 28, 15, 16, 27

Despite a poor 2016 campaign that saw some uncharacteristic losses, Mary Wash also finds their way up one spot from last year. The Eagles are a solid 15-30 team. I think they will be in this range for 2017 and the foreseeable future, and they have been in that range for the past 7-8 years. The Eagles don’t have enough talent to really threaten the top 10 in big matches, but they train hard enough and recruit well enough to comfortably beat unranked teams and win their conference. Mary Wash just seems to be a steady team that wins the matches they are supposed to and loses the matches they are supposed to. As D3AS said in his preview, you can expect more of the same from the Eagles this upcoming season.

Best Mary Washington Eagles Moment: 2008 NCAA Regionals. This was one of the best NCAA regionals that we have ever seen. The Eagles were hosting and came from behind twice in two days with a Round of 32 win against W&L after trailing 4-1 in the overall match. They followed it up by beating top seed Trinity (TX) to advance to their only Final 8 in the past ten years.

17) Gustavus Adolphus – Average 19.0; 25, 18, 14, 18, 20

I compared Gustavus to Whitewater earlier in this article and I think they are similar programs as of late. Both play good doubles and are dangerous when playing higher ranked teams, but they are both clearly overmatched in singles against the majority of the top 15. The Gusties have floated in the 15-25 area of the rankings for the past several years, but I don’t believe they’ve had a top 10 win under Tommy Valentini. You can expect more of the same from Gustavus this year. They are well coached and recruit fairly well, recently going international with recruits. However, with the players that the NESCAC and UAA attract, the talent gap is too wide for Gustavus and I think it’s unrealistic to expect them to put a string of wins together and turn in a top 10 season. I think Gustavus does an admirable job with what they have and they do everything within their power to stay in the top 20 in D3.

Best Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties Moment: 2008 National Indoor Title. This was near the end of the golden age of Gustie tennis. I believe this was the last year that Gustavus had their lighting-fast Indoor courts and they beat Trinity TX, Emory and Cruz on consecutive days while going undefeated at both #1 and #2 singles to win the Indoors title at home.

16) Chicago – Average 17.6; 30, 30, 17, 6, 5

It’s been said enough times that the Chicago Maroons program has changed for the better under Jay Tee. Although Chicago didn’t see a huge jump on this list compared to last year, you can expect to see a very large jump next year with Chicago’s #30 finish in 2012 rolling off. The Maroons are about as close as you get to a lock to finish top 10 this year. All signs point to them making their 3rd consecutive Final Four and many expect Chicago to reach the final or even win it all. This team is likely to continue to get better and as I said last year in this article, if things continue going as they have been, a national title for Chicago is inevitable. In 2017, Chicago will have their sights set on strong performances at Indoors and UAAs to prepare them for the year-end NCAA tournament. Their recruiting has been arguably the best in D3 under Coach Tee and I expect that trend to continue.

Best Chicago Maroons Moment: 2015 NCAA Quarterfinal. This was an epic match and one of the biggest upsets we have seen in the Final 8. David Liu won a deciding 3rd set with the score tied 4-4 overall and the Maroons knocked off #2 seed Amherst to advance to the program’s first ever Final 4.

15) Redlands – Average 17.0; 17, 14, 21, 15, 18

Despite really getting a lot of heat from the bloggers over the years, Redlands comes in at #15 on the list of best teams of the last five years. We don’t often find a lot of positive things to say about the program, but the fact that they continue to produce consistent good results deserves some recognition. Redlands is never easy to play and has gotten rid of the a multi-year stigma that they can’t win close matches. They sit firmly at third in the SCIAC, but they have to be somewhat disappointed in the fact that Pomona has safely passed them. Redlands did sneak out a top 5 victory a few years ago against a shorthanded Pomona team, but other than that, they really haven’t threatened many top teams recently. You can count on another 13 to 22 performance for Redlands in 2017 because I don’t see them going anywhere with the talent they have.

Best Redlands Bulldogs Moment: 2008 victory against Gustavus. Back in the good ‘ol days for the Bulldogs, they knocked off a Gustavus team that had won National Indoors the previous month and were coming into this match as one of the best team in the country. It was a dramatic 5-4 victory, just as Redlands has done so many times on their home courts.

14) Whitman – Average 16.8; 14, 16, 13, 17, 24

Whitman should be very pleased coming in at #14 on this list. It is often said that their geographic isolation works against them, so being a top 15 program in the country is an excellent accomplishment. Whitman has been a consistent conference winner and NCAA participant and they nearly broke through in 2015, losing a heartbreaker to Wash U in the Sweet 16. Whitman has done an excellent job keeping up with the recruit-happy schools on the East Coast and continue to stay relevant at the top of D3 tennis every year. They had an unfortunate NCAA loss last year which hurt their year-end ranking, but they look to be ready to move back into the top 20 in 2017. Coach Northam continues to produce a disciplined, hardworking team that consistently pushes the top 10 and occasionally pulls a notable upset.

Best Whitman Moment: 2012 victory over Santa Cruz. After years of getting beaten by Cruz, Whitman used a doubles sweep to win 6-3 in an early season home match against a Cruz team that ended up finishing top 10 in the country. This was the beginning of an undefeated regular season for Whitman.

13) Carnegie Mellon – Average 13.0; 19, 19, 9, 11, 7

The Tartans have shown flashes of brilliance numerous times during the past several seasons, but they have not put an entire season of top 5-level play together. The recent CMU teams can beat anyone in the country on the right day, but they are also prone to losses against less talented teams. They took a huge step forward in 2016 winning numerous very important matches during the regular season, but they did not come through in their biggest match of the season against Hopkins. This left CMU out of the Elite 8 for the sixth consecutive season, even though they have six consecutive recruiting classes that have been top 5 in the country. 2017 presents another opportunity to take the next step, but to do so they have to be on their game to get through a brutally difficult UAA as qualifying for the NCAA tournament out of that conference is an accomplishment in itself.

Best Carnegie Mellon Tartans Moment: 2014 UAA Semifinal. CMU had never beaten Emory until this match and they also ended a very long streak of Emory-Wash U finals in the UAA tournament. The Tartans swept the doubles and then won a few three setters for a 6-3 win against the Eagles.

12) Case Western – Average 12.2; 18, 13, 8, 14, 8

I said back in 2014 when Case made their first ever quarterfinals that it’s going to be difficult for the Spartans to continue moving forward and my prediction has been correct. However, while Case has plateaued in a sense, Coach Todd continues to do a commendable job with the teams that he has. They come in above rival CMU on this list and a first round match with the Tartans at Indoors is looming. I think taking last year’s squad to a top 8 finish was a phenomenal performance, and if they can finish top 10 again in 2017 I will be impressed with the Spartans. Case also competes in the UAA, so every time they step on the court is a crucial match. I’m sure the Spartans are determined to continue improving and get back to the quarterfinals, but they will have to do that without the best player in program history.

Best Case Western Spartans Moment: 2014 NCAA Sweet 16. In arguably the most dramatic Sweet 16 match we’ve seen, Case went on the road and beat #5 overall seed CMU to make their first and only Elite 8. James Fojtasek clinched the match in a deciding third set with the overall score tied 4-4, justifying years of hard work by Coach Todd and his players.

11) Johns Hopkins – Average 10.6; 8, 10, 7, 12, 16

It’s pretty amazing to me that a team that has made the Final 8 four of the past five seasons is ranked behind a team that has made the Final 8 in none of the past five seasons. I think that goes to show how volatile Hopkins can be (and how unfair the NCAA system is). The Hopkins teams of old were fairly predictable. They would have strong regular seasons and fold in the NCAA tournament. I think it’s ironic that one of the weakest tournament teams pre-2012 has become one of the better tournament teams in recent years. Hopkins really doesn’t get talked about a lot for a team that has made four Final 8s in the past five seasons, but it’s primarily due to their soft regular season schedule which we see again in 2017. I’m not sure if it’s purposeful, but it seems to be working out for the Blue Jays. The recent Hopkins teams are just such a mystery, and while you can get a good read on most teams, I think the 2017 Hopkins squad can finish anywhere between 5 and 20 in the rankings.

Best Johns Hopkins Blue Jays Moment: 2014 National Indoors. Hopkins shocked Emory in the opening round for their only ever win against the Eagles before defeating host Case Western in the semifinals. The Blue Jays put up a great fight in a finals loss to Wash U for their only finals appearance at a major tournament.

10) Pomona-Pitzer – Average 10.4; 11, 17, 11, 4, 9

Pomona has really put together some impressive results during the past few seasons, most notably their incredible 2015 campaign which you’ll read about in 60 seconds. It’s a shame they are overshadowed by their neighbors and 2017 might be the Hens best chance in the near future to change that trend. They are loaded with seniors and CMS looks to be lacking a dominant top player, although I could see that changing easily. Pomona has picked up their recruiting in the last few years and couple that with great doubles, a lot of fight and always playing at home and you’ve got yourself a very dangerous team. The difference between the 2015 and 2016 Pomona squads were that last year’s team lost the close matches that the 2015 team won, and did so consistently. We will see what the 2017 team can do but we are officially in a new era of Sagehen tennis and I’m looking for big things from this team this season.

Best Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens Moment: March of 2015. This isn’t exactly a moment, but it’s certainly the most impressive feat from the Hens. After an early season loss to Bates, P-P went 16-1 during March, including eight victories over teams that were ranked top 15 in the country at the time of the match. Of the sixteen victories, eight of them were by a 5-4 score.

9) Bowdoin – Average 8.8; 7, 11, 16, 9, 1

A year ago, I was not a believer that this program could really be competitive with the top schools in the NESCAC. It’s amazing how much a year can change things. They enter 2017 as defending national champions and several bloggers, myself included, think they have what it takes to repeat. For years Bowdoin lived in the shadow of their fellow conference members, but the Polar Bears had the last laugh, making them the fourth different NESCAC school to win the national title in six years. They put together the most incredible three days I’ve ever seen in D3 and in 2017 they are on a mission to prove that it wasn’t a fluke. The Polar Bears bucked every trend we knew, defied statistics and dug incredibly deep to win their national title. What Conor Smith has done in only five years is admirable and he catapulted himself into the top echelon of coaches in the country.

Best Bowdoin Polar Bears Moment: 2016 NCAA Title. There are a lot of impressive feats on this list and a lot of crazy things I’ve seen over the past ten years, but this is the best. Bowdoin came into NCAAs as the #4 overall seed and the program had never been to the Final 4. The Polar Bears beat Hopkins after a doubles sweep followed by title favorites Emory and Midd to win the 2016 NCAA tournament.

8) Trinity (TX) – Average 8.6; 10, 8, 3, 8, 14

This has been alluded to numerous times, but the next few years are crucial for the Tigers. 2016 was the first year since 2009 that Trinity (TX) did not finish in the top 10, and they finished behind teams such as Carnegie Mellon, Tufts and Wesleyan who were barely on their radar for the previous five seasons. The simple fact is that Trinity (TX) is getting out-recruited by these programs and even outstanding coaching and development can’t close that gap. Trinity (TX) has used “the transfer” to their advantage very effectively in recent years as Deuel, Krull and Skinner were absolute studs for this team. If you’ve been following me for the past several years, you know I’m a huge fan of this program. Even though I believe in them, I’m worried that 12-15 and Round of 16 NCAA exits may become the new norm for Trinity (TX).

Best Trinity (TX) Tigers Moment: 2015 National Indoor Title. Despite entering the tournament #3 in the country and as the #1 seed, not many people give Trinity TX a chance to win this. The play of Adam Krull and Aaron Skinner helped the Tigers prove everyone wrong by beating host Gustavus, Hopkins and then getting their only win in recent memory against Emory.

7) Kenyon – Average 8.0; 2, 5, 12, 10, 11

I keep thinking the Kenyon program is going to fall away from relevance, but somehow the Lords just keep putting together good seasons. Last year was an admirable performance from Kenyon, finishing 8th at Indoors only to keep fighting and improving before finishing the season off with an Elite 8 performance. A lot of people don’t see Kenyon as a threat to the top teams in the country, but finishing Top 12 for six consecutive seasons with four Elite 8 appearances (not to mention a Finals appearance) is not something many teams have accomplished. Kenyon consistently finds new players to keep them competitive low in the lineup and their top guys seem to get better as their college careers progress. This is a credit to Coach Thielke and Kenyon is also notoriously one of the toughest places to play on the road. I expect the Lords to stay in the top 15 this year, but as I’ve said before the last few seasons, I think another top 10 finish would be an incredible effort from these guys.

Best Kenyon Lords Moment: 2013 National Indoor Title. After a painful loss in the 2012 NCAA Final against Emory, the Lords break through and capture the Indoor title against the Eagles in dramatic fashion, with C.J. Williams winning a 3rd set tiebreak. Since 2008, Kenyon is 1-11 against Emory with this being the lone victory.

6) Williams – Average 7.8; 3, 1, 10, 13, 12

Williams hasn’t quite been the same since their incredible 2013 national title, and the benefit of the doubt time period after a national title has just about run out. Dan Greenberg put himself among the top D3 coaches after developing his crop of freshmen from Sweet 16 to national title, but the Ephs haven’t done all that much the last three years, missing the tournament two years in a row. This is their fourth season after 2013, so they should be fully reloaded and ready to compete for a NESCAC championship once again. Given the rich history of this program, I think Williams could surprise some people in 2017. They have an uphill battle to stay relevant in their conference and I think 2017 will be telling for Williams to see if they can climb back into the top 8. The Ephs have played some good matches the past few seasons, such as the 2015 NESCAC semifinal, but they have certainly been inconsistent.

Best Williams Ephs Moment: 2013 NCAA Title. Under the tutelage of alum Dan Greenberg, the 2013 Eph senior class gets better each year to win a national title in dominant fashion. For those who remember, watching this freshmen class grow into senior leaders was a special moment in D3 tennis history.

5) Middlebury – Average 6.6; 15, 9, 4, 2, 3

This year is a huge test for the Middlebury Panthers. You’ve got Bowdoin with peak confidence, Amherst with a crop of talented freshmen, Wesleyan surging and Williams trying to get back to the top. Midd has a target on their back as the two time defending NESCAC champions and they are going to carry their painful 2016 NCAA final loss into 2017. They have a few things going in their favor. The first is their legendary coach Bob Hansen who has taken Midd from #15 in the country all the way to the brink of a title. The second is that the last two times we saw a team lose in the final back to back years, they won the national title in the third year (CMS 2013-2015 and Amherst 2009-2011). The reason this year will be such a challenge for Midd is they have numerous starters who are going to be moving two spots up in the lineup. The saving grace for the loss of Noah Farrell may be transfer Lubomir Cuba, but I have a feeling Midd is going to have a hard time winning it all in 2017. The Panthers were so close to the title in 2016, but they may have to wait another year until they are ready to make a serious run.

Best Middlebury Panthers Moment: 2010 NCAA Title. A senior-heavy Middlebury team brings the program its first national title since 2004. The Panthers completed an undefeated D3 season with a comeback victory against Wash U in the semis and a final win against Amherst. This starts a stretch of NESCAC dominance late in the NCAA tournament which still holds true today.

4) Amherst – Average 6.2; 5, 3, 1, 7, 15

If you want to talk about pure talent, Amherst may be the best in the country in 2017 along with Chicago. However, their performances during the past two seasons are very worrisome. Herst fell a lot on this list since last year, with a #1 ranking rolling off and a #15 finish coming on, which is their worst performance since 2008. The fact that they missed the tournament with the team they had last year was shocking, but they are now better and their 2017 performance will be very telling for the program going forward. Despite their youth, the expectations for Amherst are high given they bring in the best recruiting class D3 has ever seen. Similar to their biggest rival Williams, Amherst should feel like they have something to prove in 2017. They have not put together a good postseason under new coach Todd Doebler, and if Amherst doesn’t at least reach the quarterfinals in 2017, I think the doubters will continue to mount. Along with Hopkins, I see Herst as one of the two biggest wildcards headed into 2017.

Best Amherst Moment: 2011 NCAA Title. A relatively young Amherst team dominates three matches in a row to win the national title after surprise final appearances during the previous two seasons. This was the climax of a stretch when Amherst made the NCAA Final four times in six seasons (2009-2014).

T2) Emory – Average 4.0; 1, 6, 6, 5, 2

Emory was oh so close to getting back to the winner’s circle in 2016. I can assure everyone that they will be back with a vengeance in 2017 and they are one of the blog’s favorites for the national title this season. I really think the recent Emory teams have changed their tune and I can easily see Emory rolling through 2017 with another dominant undefeated season. Coach Browning continues to do a great job both recruiting and developing and after a few shaky seasons that weren’t up to Emory standards, the Eagles are near the top again. I know they will use the motivation from their 2016 loss this season. Emory ran into the wrong team on the wrong day last year and it usually takes a little luck to win a national title, so that’s obviously something they will be looking to avoid in 2017. After doing this for a decade, my respect for this program has continually improved and is probably peaking right now.

Best Emory Eagles Moment: 2012 NCAA Title. With their best players fighting cramps and exhaustion, Emory’s underclassmen propel the Eagles to two consecutive 5-4 wins and then a comeback against Kenyon after trailing big in doubles. This was my second favorite Final 8 after 2016.

T2) Wash U – Average 4.0; 4, 4, 5, 3, 4

The Bears are the only team on this list who has managed to finish top five in all years considered, which shows the depth of D3 these days. Despite being tied for second, Wash U has failed to make a finals appearance and has lost in the NCAA quarterfinals in two of the past three years. They have had some slow starts to recent seasons, but Wash U has always brought their best tennis late in the season and in the UAA tournament. Heading into most seasons, 2017 included, the bloggers consider the Bears as a team that will be there at the end of the season. They are certainly the underdog against fellow #2 on this list Emory, but we know by now never to count out Wash U and that anything is possible. The Bears have not necessarily kept up with the UAA competition on the recruiting front, but they have made something like 10 or 11 consecutive conference tournament finals. Wash U doesn’t always have the talent of other top 5 teams, but they are arguably the toughest opponent in D3 tennis.

Best Wash U Bears’ Moment: 2008 NCAA Title. Never having reached the semifinals, the Bears pull off three straight wins to take their lone national title, including an epic final against Emory to avenge a UAA Final loss earlier in the season. Wash U announces themselves as a fixture in the top 5 in the rankings which still holds true today.

1) CMS – Average 3.4; 6, 2, 2, 1, 6

It is very fitting that CMS tops this list. Even with two finishes outside the top five, the Stags monster 2013-2015 has them as the best team of the last five years. CMS has had a string of great players at the top of the lineup, outstanding depth and excellent doubles for as long as most people can remember. The Stags are in the middle of rebuilding mode after their 2015 national championship and this year will be a test for them. They are coming off a disappointing quarterfinal loss, but they were as high as #2 in the country last season and showed a lot of promise. CMS is going to be as dangerous as ever this year and similar to what I said for Emory, my respect for this program has only increased as the years have progressed. Coach Settles did a wonderful job helping his guys to win the national title after so many years of coming close. The Stags boast the best facility in the country and at the moment, they are the best program in the country too.

Best CMS Stags Moment: 2015 NCAA Title. After way too many near misses dating back to 2010, the Stags win the 2015 national championship in dominant fashion after finals appearances the previous two years when they had undefeated regular seasons and were the top seed in the NCAA tournament.