New York Collegiate Roundup

June 22, 2015 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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St. John’s men win second consecutive Big East Title
For the second straight year, the St. John’s Red Storm have been crowned champions of the Big East. St. John's topped Marquette, 4-2, in its final match, once again punching its ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

This year's conference title marks the second in school history.

"I'm very proud of our repeat as conference champions," said St. John’s Head Coach Eric Rebhuhn. "The team played tremendously at the Big East Championship, having overcome much adversity throughout the year. We look forward to playing in the NCAAs and making a long postseason run."

Michael-John Every & Robert Livi picked up the first victory against the Golden Eagles, downing Nick Dykema & Vukasin Teofanovic, 8-5. Vaidik Munshaw & Erick Reyes soon closed out doubles action with another Red Storm win, topping Andre Romanello & Kris Trukov by the same score.

Lucas Hejhal struck first for the Red Storm in individual action, winning his match 7-5, 6-2 in the top singles slot over Marquette's Daniel Fernandez.

The Golden Eagles were the next squad to register a point, as Mackenzie Stearns topped Elio Livi at fifth singles to pull Marquette within one.

Marquette soon knotted the score at two, picking up a win at fourth singles when Kris Trukov downed Munshaw 7-5 (7-5), 6-0.

With the scored tied at 2-2, the Red Storm rattled off two-consecutive three-set wins to clinch their second-straight conference crown. First, in third singles, Livi topped Dykema 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. Shortly thereafter, Reyes sealed the deal for the Red Storm, climbing back from an early deficit to bring down Teofanovic 5-7, 6-3, 6-1.

St. John’s will play third-seeded Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. in the opening round of the NCAA championships.

The St. John’s Women’s Tennis team also enjoyed a fantastic season, but fell one win short of reaching the NCAA tournament, losing to DePaul 4-0 in the conference championship.



 

Columbia men continue their Ivy League dominance
For the second straight year and 12th time overall, the Columbia Lions Men’s Tennis team are Ivy League champions. The Lions defeated Penn 7-0 in its final regular season game to complete a perfect season inside the Ivy League for the second consecutive season.

Columbia is back-to-back champions for the first time since hoisting the Albie Collins Trophy following the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 seasons. The win not only sealed Columbia’s status as conference champs, but gave the program to its sixth undefeated home season with a 7-0 home record and 23rd consecutive home victory.

In the NCAA tournament, the Lions will travel to Oxford, Miss. to take on Georgia Tech in the first round.

Head coach Bid Goswami, in his 33rd year as head coach, took home Ivy League Coach of the Year honors.



 

Hunter wins CUNYAC title; Saez-Garcia claims second Player of the Year Award
The Hunter Men's Tennis team won the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) Championship with a 5-1 victory over three-time defending champion Baruch College. The victory by the Hawks was the seventh in the program's history and first since 2011. The Hawks also earned the CUNYAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Some Hawks players also earned CUNY accolades as well. For the second straight year, Hunter College junior Gonzalo Saez-Garcia was named CUNYAC Player of the Year, while freshman Carlos Sala took home the CUNYAC Rookie of the Year Award. Freshman Florimond Le Goupil-Maier earned a spot as a First Team All-Star after his stellar freshman season.

Saez-Garcia, a native of Madrid, Spain, was undefeated in CUNY Athletic Conference play this year, with a 7-0 overall conference record. The sophomore finished the season with an impressive nine-match winning streak for an overall record of 10-1, playing all of his matches in the top flight. Saez-Garcia was named CUNYAC Player of the Week for three consecutive weeks throughout the 2015 season for his extraordinary performance.

"It’s great to win this award again. I know it's a personal award, but I couldn't have achieved it without the help from my teammates and coaches," said Garcia.

Sala was named CUNYAC Rookie of the Year. The freshman was the owner of a 7-0 undefeated record when facing CUNYAC opponents this season and finished the year strong with a four match winning streak to extend his overall record to 8-3 in number two singles. The Valencia, Spain native was also awarded CUNYAC Player of the Week honors for two consecutive weeks this year.

Sala echoed the same sentiments when asked about his award.

"I am really excited to win this award, and have to thank my teammates and coaches for helping me get there,” said Sala.

 


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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