Another summer has passed and another season is upon us! Most of my teams haven’t really played any matches yet, but I still want to cover some important story lines from each team, so I’ll give a brief spew about really whatever intrigues me about each team. Also, over the past few seasons I feel like I’ve left a few teams out so this year I want to do a better job of covering as many of my regional homies as possible so if there’s something I missed, let me know! Let’s get into it.
Swarthmore – A new era: After deliberating with the Headmaster himself, real ASouth, we have mutually decided to switch coverage of the Garnet. Don’t fret, you will still be getting plenty of love, unfortunately just not from me. Best of luck this season, you will always have a special place in my heart Swarthmore. Shout out to Coach Box on getting this job, if you can develop #JustACoupleOfTwoStars into NCAA qualifiers, I’m really looking forward to seeing what you can do with some 3 and 4 stars.
Sewanee – Hype train or nah?: Last season I was admittedly drinking a lot of purple Kool Aid and probably overhyped the Tigers. Well this season, against better judgment, I’ll most likely be doing the same. Assuming Jack Gray wasn’t too busy working on music this summer, I expect him to remain a regional stud at the #1 singles spot. Along with a support cast of three incoming freshmen who could potentially be immediate impact players, I think HEAD COACH FELIX MANN can take this team into the top 15.
NC Wesleyan – 16 Freshman?! What the #@*%?: Ladies and gentlemen, you read that right. The Battling Bishops are bringing in 16 freshmen. If you don’t believe me, check the roster. Could one of them be the next Robert Kjellberg? Most definitely. Here are some notable editions ranked by UTR: Jhonny Acosta (11.47 p), Nick Revin (11.01), Jesus Gil (11.00), Jordan Evans (10.72), Ingmar Remerswaal (10.58) and Fayz Mavlyudov (10.13 p). So essentially a brand new talented team with a coach who has proven success, all aboard, the hype train has arrived in Rocky Mount.
Christopher Newport – Will David Reed ever leave?: Ok, ok, I know I was a jerk and called them a sinking ship last year, so I’m going to try to be a little nicer this time around. While David Reed may have finished his illustrious playing career at CNU, he has decided to come back as a coach. I think this kind of experience is invaluable, especially with the talented incoming freshmen. He was in their shoes a few years ago and can show them how to navigate the waves of balancing the DIII tennis life at CNU.
Washington and Lee – The Shepherd and the sheep: Our favorite Crypto loving tennis player, Harry Shepherd, returns for his junior campaign and has a pretty darn solid supporting cast behind him. While the loss of March Zheng will most definitely hurt, the incoming freshman class, ranked 21 in the nation, should help the rebuilding process. The battle for best DIII program in Virginia could get very interesting between the Generals, Captains and UMW Eagles this year.
Millsaps – What’s next?: After a historic season for the Majors, they lose 3 starting seniors and their head coach, so the logical question is, what’s next? Well the good news is that they have a solid recruiting class of 6 guys. If the Majors continue the workmanlike attitude they’ve had over the past few years, I don’t see them falling off much. The only question is have they reached their ceiling with their lack of 3 and 4 star recruits? Yes, yes, I know that the star system is flawed, but I think it’s a valid point. Only time will tell, so until then, let’s sit back and see how things unfold.
Rhodes – Is this THE year?: I have been hyping up the Lynx for the past two seasons because of their quality recruiting class from 2016, but they haven’t quite lived up to their potential. The talent is there and they didn’t lose any significant contributors. If there is a year for Rhodes to challenge for second place in the SAA, I think this will be the year. Graduation hit Millsaps and Birmingham Southern hard and I don’t think Centre or Rhodes has the firepower to take the Lynx quite yet. The most concerning team would be Oglethorpe, who was one match away in the regular season and SAA tournament. Catching the Tigers will be a tough task for any of these teams.
Birmingham Southern – Can someone replace Weinacker?: For the past two years, Weinacker has pretty much been a rock at the top of the lineup, but do they have anyone to replace him. Pellegrini and Bekaert both struggled at two last season and it doesn’t look like they have anyone notable coming in according to TennisRecruiting.net. This might be a tough season for the Panthers in a conference that seems to get tougher and tougher every year.
Oglethorpe – Who will be the next CJ Antonio?: Quietly flying under the radar are the Stormy Petrels. I am intrigued by their top recruit, Grayson Doscotch. The first year out of Florida has played some relatively close matches against solid competition and after a year or two of development could be one to watch out for on the ASouth radar, much like Oglethorpe legend CJ Antonio.
Haverford – Is anything going to change?: Haverford has been in third place in the Centennial Conference for the past three seasons, but can we expect that to change. With Hopkins and Swarthmore reloading big time, I can’t see the Black Squirrels jumping either team this year. However, there might be an unexpected challenger lurking just around the corner…
Dickinson – What should we expect?: If your recruiting class is ranked in the top 15 with a Leonid Sorkin (legendary name and 12.12 UTR!) at the helm, you catch the bloggers’ attention. Thanks to RegNEC to pointing this one out. I definitely think Dickinson could be a dark horse in the Centennial Conference with a strong top singles player and what seems to be like a solid supporting cast. Don’t sleep on the Red Devils folks, they might have just gotten the missing pieces they needed.
Wilkes – Can Courtney make a comeback?: Is it just me, or does it feel like Courtney Murphy has been around for forever? He is an NCAA All American, but had a rather lackluster season last year. Does the senior have what it takes to make a comeback this season and return to NCAAs? Glancing ahead at the Colonels’ schedule, it looks like he’s going to have a tough road ahead of him unless he can make a very deep run at the Mary Washington ITA.
Goucher – Kincaid’s departure: Last but not least, I’ll show the Landmark a little love and give the Gopher’s a shout out. No school is immune to the coaching carousel and Kincaid’s departure to Haverford will be an interesting storyline to follow. I am curious to see how much if Goucher’s success will diminish with the loss of their captain. They have won the Landmark the last 3 seasons and have one of the better recruiting classes in the conference this season, so we will see what happens.
Well folks, that’s all I got at this point. Did I miss anyone? Are there any other storylines I need to look in to? Sound off in the comments, tweet me or send me an email! Also, if anyone has the Emory ITA draws, send them our way please! The headmaster and I are trying to get your preview going. Until next time, RegASouth out!
Landmark coverage makes me a happy person!
Great article! There’s a bunch of teams here that weren’t even covered at all last year. Who had even heard of Dickinson college before? It looks like in past seasons they have been struggling to even get into playoff contention the last few years. Looks like Coach Bojalad has had a couple of strong recruiting classes in only his third year there. This year it looks like they lack the depth to make a big run since they are pretty weak after their top 6 but this could be a very strong team for the next few years. I’m excited to see what this Sorkin kid can bring and if their coach can bring in any more studs in the coming years.
Thank you! That was my goal for the season. Gonna have to thank RegNEC once again for the inspiration, since he covers pretty much every team in his regions.
As for Dickinson, I don’t think they will struggle to make the playoffs anymore. I’m assuming they’re going to be relatively solid 2-6 and if Sorkin lives up to the hype, this team could definitely be dangerous. In my opinion they’ll probably sit 3rd in the Centennial this season, but will definitely not be a team to overlook.