Regional Kickoff 2k20

dO wE bLoG?!?! Welcome back ladies and gentlemen, to another year of regional d3 tennis coverage!  I’m so pumped, I’m even going to properly tag this article and commit to using the Content Calendar this year – you heard correctly Northeast! After a first year of blogging that saw one of my teams end up in the top 10 (Brandeis), and another have their best year ever (Caltech), I’m very excited to see how things play out this year.  Some of my teams kicked off their fall last weekend, while a few will be holding their cards close to their chest until ITAs. I’m going to touch on a bunch of teams below to give a taste of what’s to come in 2019/2020.

If you want a longer recap about how Brandeis and Colby did at the Midd Invite, check out Northeast’s article here!

 

Brandeis

In case you forget, Deis crushed it last year, finishing the year at #8 in the country! While I’m thrilled with the Judges success last year (and still mad about the NCAA snub), Brandeis has now firmly moved into @D3Northeast territory – take care of them!  We got our first look at a Lamanna-less Deis squad at the Midd Invite and though they didn’t bring home the hardware like last year, I think they confirmed they are going to be a really dangerous team this year.  Tyler Ng was the lone graduate, and with senior David Aizenberg at the top spot, and Tzeng, Chen and Das in the middle of the lineup, this team comes into the year on my NCAA Champion shortlist.  Remaining fall tournaments: ITAs (9/27-9/29), Wallach (10/5-10/6)

Caltech

Caltech took us on a season-long roller coaster ride last year as they beat Swarthmore, Tufts, Colby, Whitman, George Fox and Pomona, nearly came back from a doubles sweep to upset Brandeis, and lost to  Skidmore, Williams, Redlands, Cal Lu and CMS. Shanker and Wei took big steps forward, and Shanker might be the best player in the region (Though Messrs Katzman and Parodi might have something to say about that).  I also feel the need to mention that Caltech is taking a trip to Hawaii this year. That’s sick. Coach Cohen is probably a locker room favorite right now. The Beavers brought in a stellar recruiting class, and should build off last year’s success. Look for them to avoid bad losses, pick up a signature win, and finish the year in the top 15. Remaining fall tournaments: ITAs (10/4 – 10/6)

MIT

The MIT enigma.  MIT looked dangerous last year, pushing Brandeis and CMS to 5-4 decisions and going toe-to-toe with Bowdoin in a 6-3 loss, before falling quietly to Midd 5-0 in the NCAA tournament. It’s a new look MIT team this year as Tyler Barr, Alex Cauneac and Sean Ko graduated, leaving big holes at the top of the singles lineup. As per usual, MIT reloaded with the #3 recruiting class in D3, bringing in two top-100 4-stars, and two top-225 3-stars. MIT brings in top tier talent year in and year out, but never reaches their full potential. Last year was a step in the right direction, as they beat Bates and Skidmore and pushed three top-10 teams to the brink, but whether they can build off that success remains to be seen. Remaining fall tournaments: ITAs (9/27-9/29)

George Fox

George Fox was my pick to win the NWC last year, but things never clicked, and they lost 8-1 to Caltech and Whitman (regular season), and 7-2 to Tufts before losing 6-0 to Whitman in the NWC finals. The Whitman losses were particularly surprising as Whitman was much weaker last year than in years past.  Luke Lemaitre stepped into the top spot towards the end of last year, and will be the key for the Bruins this year. He won the Northwest Invitational by beating teammate Will Leach in the finals. He’ll be the favorite at the Northwest ITA this weekend. George Fox has the talent to win their conference this year, but taking out the incumbent isn’t an easy task, and Whitman has won the conference 13 years in a row. Remaining fall tournaments: ITAs (9/20-9/23)

Colby

This is a make or break year for Colby. The last several Colby teams were strong at the top and weak throughout the lineup, but it looks like Colby finally has some depth behind their top dog.  Scott Altmeyer is one of the top players in the region, and his win over Sorkin shows the level he’s capable of. First years Wenger and Powis were in the A and B flights at Midd, and Wenger beat Castillo-Sanchez (RPI).  We’ll have a better sense of their levels after the Wallach and ITAs, but it looks like the two first years will be counted on in the middle of the lineup. I’m going to remain measured on this team until we see some team results, but there is optimism in Waterville. Colby is also hosting ITAs for the first time ever! Remaining fall tournaments: ITAs (9/27-9/29), Wallach (10/5-10/6)

Southwestern

Whaddup Coach Porter. Similar to Colby, Southwestern has a make or break year ahead. After graduating only one senior, the Pirates have six seniors on the roster this year, led by Renaissance Man Alexis Dimanche.  Though they have three recruits listed on tennisrecruiting, only one is listed on the roster. The Pirates were particularly weak in doubles. Southwestern HAS to play better doubles this year if they want to challenge Trinity for the SCAC title. I’m high on Southwestern because of the potential and experience, but need to see the doubles improvement before I go all-in. Remaining fall tournaments: ITAs (9/26 – 9/29)

Pacific

Always good for solid Twitter updates and nicknames, Pacific is one of my favorite teams to cover. Unfortunately, the Boxers haven’t been as strong since graduating Clark Wininger and Oscar Wight.  Pacific beat Lewis and Clark last year after losing their previous four meetings and they pushed Whitman to a 5-4 decision early in the year, before losing 5-0 to George Fox in the NWC Championships.  The Boxers bring in two 2-stars and return solid players in Sean Murphy and Reyn Miyagawa.  Pacific has already played at the Northwest Invitational hosted by George Fox, where Miyagawa and Joey Balloweg had strong singles showings. Look for Pacific to be improved this year, but still a few players away from competing with George Fox and Whitman. Remaining fall tournaments: ITAs (9/20-9/23)

Lewis & Clark

After bringing in no recruits last year, L&C brings in three much needed players. The Pios only had 6 players on their roster last year, and having the extra couple guys makes a difference.  Graduating Raed Attia hurts, but Ramez Attia and Brendan Adams are solid returning players, and will need to have good years if L&C wants to hold off Linfield for the #4 seed in the NWC. Remaining fall tournaments: ITAs (9/20-9/23)

Hamilton/Trinity/Conn

Hamilton/Trinity/Conn are my bottom three in the NESCAC, in that order. Coach Brisotti has created a winning culture at Hamilton and has brought in another decent recruiting class. Max Zimmerman had some nice wins last year, and is my dark horse to make a run at ITAs.  Trinity has fallen off since the days of Traff, Matingo and Carpenter, and I don’t see them beating anyone in the conference besides Conn. Conn is bringing in two 2-stars, which is a solid recruiting class for them, but they will still be the underdog in all their conference matches

University of Wisconsin Eau Claire

I gave the Blugolds a shoutout at the end of last year, and want to revisit my breakout team of 2020.  UW Eau Claire plays in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) – the same conference as Whitewater, meaning they are competing for a Pool B spot. They brought in five 2-stars to a team that pushed Whitewater to a 6-3 decision last year. I’m not saying they will challenge for a Pool B spot, but the Blugolds are definitely a team to watch in RegionalLand. Remaining fall tournaments: ITAs (9/27-9/29)

 

If you think I left your team out or you have any comments, questions or statements, slide into the DMs, email or comment below!

Leave a Comment