Coach: Tommy Valentini, 4th Season Location: Saint Peter, MN 2009 Ranking: 9 2010 Ranking: NR 2011 Ranking: NR 2012 Ranking: 26 2013 Projected Ranking: 21 Overview: Gustavus Adolphus College is home to one of the richest tennis histories among DIII programs. As you can see from the recent rankings, they’ve dropped off a bit in recent years, but for you young pups,…
Coach: Chris Garner, 6th season Location: Amherst, MA 2009 Ranking: 2 2010 Ranking: 2 2011 Ranking: 1 2012 Ranking: 5 2013 Projected Ranking: 3 Overview: Until last year’s shocking quarterfinal loss to Wash U, the Amherst men’s tennis program had enjoyed a five-year steady rise through prominence and into dominance. Coach Garner had earned himself a reputation as a Yoda of…
Well, tennis fans. It’s a brand new season. Everyone has a fresh start. Some teams are burdened by expectation, while others are optimistically lurking in the shadows, eagerly awaiting the opportunity to prove their worth. As much fun as it is to analyze every match, dissect every lineup decision, speculate over the cause of a letdown,…
Coach: Bob Hansen, 2nd Season Location: Middlebury, VT 2009 Ranking: T-5 2010 Ranking: 1 2011 Ranking: 9 2012 Ranking: 15 2013 Projected Ranking: 9 Overview: I’m sure I will get corrected on some of the minutia, but here’s a brief recent Middlebury history lesson. Middlebury has been a strong program for the past decade and a half. Coach Dave Schwarz arrived in…
Coach: Dan Greenberg, 4th Season Location: Williamstown, MA 2009 Ranking: 8 2010 Ranking: 11 2011 Ranking: 4 2012 Ranking: 3 2013 Projected Ranking: 1 Overview: In the early aughties, the Williams Purple Cows were the DIII tennis dynasty. They won national championships in 1999, 2001, and 2002 to go with finals appearances in 1998, 2003, and 2004. Since then, they haven’t been…
Coach: Conor Smith, 2nd Season Location: Brunswick, ME 2009 Ranking: 13 2010 Ranking: 15 2011 Ranking: 14 2012 Ranking: 7 2013 Projected Ranking: (I lost my rankings predictions, and I don’t want to put two teams as the same projected ranking, so bear with me) Overview: Bowdoin and Andy Murray have a lot in common. Both were overshadowed by the three dominant…
Coach: Roger Follmer, 12th Season Location: St. Louis, MO 2009 Ranking: 4 2010 Ranking: 6 2011 Ranking: 3 2012 Ranking: 4 2013 Projected Ranking: 7 Overview: Predictions of Wash U’s demise early in 2012 turned out to be severely overstated. After their losses to Cruz and Bowdoin, many (myself included) wondered whether they even deserved to be in the tournament. By…
Most schools’ early decision deadlines have passed, and the DIII recruiting landscape continues to defy logic. Take a look at the DIII commits page. Take a look at the DII commits page. Which one is better? Now, I know that the best DII programs are stronger than the best DIII programs, and that this recruiting…
After weeks of marketing and jockeying and voting on friends’ computers and badgering anyone with an iPhone or Droid, the DIII Mascot Challenge has finally reached its end. With a stunning first round victory over Williams, it was immediately obvious that Wisconsin-Whitewater was going to be tough to beat, but I never would have expected…
Well, it all comes down to this. Two schools, their fan bases, and every computer and iPhone they can get their hands on competing for the most treasured Division III tennis-related mascot competition this side of the Mississippi. On one side, we have the comically large, baby blue badass from Tufts; on the other, the kinda cool,…