Four-Time Defending Champion Bryant Tops NEC Men's
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For Immediate Release February 7, 2018
Four-Time Defending Champion Bryant Tops NEC Men’s Tennis Preseason Rankings Somerset, NJ -- Bryant men’s tennis has been the class of the league in recent years, and if you are to believe Northeast Conference (NEC) coaches, the Bulldogs show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Bryant was the unanimous pick to claim a fifth consecutive NEC crown and added to an already crowded trophy case in Smithfield. Saint Francis U was chosen as the runner-up, followed by fellow NEC contender Fairleigh Dickinson. Wagner was slotted fourth, followed by Mount St. Mary’s in fifth place. Sacred Heart and St. Francis Brooklyn rounded out the seven-team poll. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. The Mercer County Tennis Center in West Windsor, NJ will once again serve as the venue for the seven-team single-elimination NEC championship from April 20-22. The winner will earn the NEC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament field.
2018 Northeast Conference Men’s Tennis Preseason Coaches Poll 1. Bryant (6) 2. Saint Francis U 3. Fairleigh Dickinson 4. Wagner 5. Mount St. Mary’s 6. Sacred Heart 7. St. Francis Brooklyn First place votes in parentheses
It’s hard to go against a Bryant team that was honored with All-NEC awards in all six singles and all three doubles flights last season, with every single one of those players back in the fold for the Bulldogs and 12th-year head coach Ron Gendron. Gendron himself is the five-time reigning NEC Coach of the Year, the only such honoree in league history. Under his guidance, the Bulldogs are 21-1 against NEC rivals the last four years. While Gendron returns an all-star at every spot in the lineup, his most lethal weapon is junior Matt Kuhar (Smithfield, RI/Smithfield). Kuhar was unanimously named the 2016-17 NEC Player of the Year after finishing with a 19-6 overall record and 6-0 mark against league rivals. The local Smithfield product has since taken his game to another level, picking up a win last month against Cal’s Billy Griffith, who has been ranked as high as 49th nationally, and was up a set on 17th-ranked Ferran Calvo of Oklahoma when their match was halted in the second set on that same trip. Joining Kuhar in the stacked Bryant lineup are seniors Jorge Ortiz-Garcia (Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico/Cupeyville School) and Luke Lorenz (Colorado Springs, CO/Discovery Canyon Campus). Ortiz-Garcia earned his third straight first team All-NEC nod at #6 singles last season, while Lorenz was a second team honoree a year ago at #2 singles after collecting first team awards his first two years. Junior Artur Jakubowski (Dallas, TX) picked up his second straight All-NEC first team honor last season, this time at #3 singles, while junior Michael Plutt (Weston, FL/Cypress Bay) was voted to the second team at #5 singles a year (Four-Time Defending Champion Bryant Tops NEC Men’s Tennis Preseason Rankings • Page 1-of-2) Bryant University • Central Connecticut State University • Fairleigh Dickinson University • LIU Brooklyn Mount St. Mary’s University • Robert Morris University • Sacred Heart University St. Francis Brooklyn • Saint Francis University • Wagner College
after earned first team honors at the #5 flight. Rounding out Bryant’s long list of NEC all-stars is sophomore Guido Argentini (Boca Raton, FL/Magallan Tennis Academy (Spanish River)), who was tabbed to the first team as a freshman in the #4 spot. Between them, Bryant returnees have piled up 13 All-NEC awards the last three years. Look for 6’4” first year player Wilson Dong (Bradenton, FL/IMG Academy) to crack the singles lineup as well this spring. The Bulldogs will once again be battle tested when the postseason arrives, having already secured wins over Creighton and Lamar, while competing admirably in losses to then #15 Oklahoma State, #18 Oklahoma and #19 California. Now in his fifth year, Saint Francis U head coach Rob Castille has taken the Red Flash program to new heights, having reached two straight NEC finals under his watchful eye. SFU sports two of the NEC’s best in sophomore Franz Luna (Guatemala City, Guatemala Laurel Springs) and senior Alec Dylan Foo-Kune (Phoenix, Mauritius/International Connections Academy (MD)). Luna was named the 2016-17 NEC Rookie of the Year after he paced the circuit with 22 wins. The Guatemala native finished with a 15-3 record in #2 flight play and went 5-0 against NEC competition. He was also one of three freshman voted onto the All-NEC first team. Foo-Kune collected his third All-NEC singles honor last spring with his selection to the second team at #1 singles. He was a second-teamer at #3 in 2015 and a first team all-star at #2 singles the following year. Along with his two all-stars, Castille will look to blend in a number of newcomers into the lineup, including freshmen Charles Morkel (Cape Town, South Africa/Paul Roos Gymnasium) and Sebastian Pinos (Quito, Ecuador/Compuinformatica). Fairleigh Dickinson hopes to return to the top of the NEC ladder this season under third-year head coach Jeff Brandes, but he will need his youthful lineup to mature quickly. With five freshman on the roster, Brandes will look to veterans Adam Chan (Hillingdon, England/Langley Grammar School) and William Bourne (Stamford, England/Stamford) for leadership. Chan, who has twice earned All-NEC doubles recognition in his career, won 11 singles matches last year. Both Chan and Bourne posted winning records in tournament competition this past fall, while freshman Niclas Pietsch (Berlin, Germany/Otto Nagel Gymnasium) opened his FDU career with eight wins in 12 singles matches. Two schools have new head coaches leading their programs. Sacred Heart welcomed William Boe-Wiegaard last September following a 13-year professional career on the ATP and ITF tours. He was a five-time All-America selection at Bates College and won the 2006 NCAA DIII singles championship. Wagner, which has reached the NEC semis in each of the last three years, named Shem Filipek head coach last August. Filipek was an All-MAAC player at Monmouth and led the Hawks to back-to-back MAAC titles in 2016 and 2017. He won 56 career singles matches and was 26-2 against league rivals. About The Northeast Conference Now in its 37th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30). Founded in 1981 as the basketballonly ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www. necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, all @NECsports.
(Four-Time Defending Champion Bryant Tops NEC Men’s Tennis Preseason Rankings • Page 2-of-2)
For Immediate Release February 7, 2018
Four-Time Defending Champion Bryant Tops NEC Men’s Tennis Preseason Rankings Somerset, NJ -- Bryant men’s tennis has been the class of the league in recent years, and if you are to believe Northeast Conference (NEC) coaches, the Bulldogs show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Bryant was the unanimous pick to claim a fifth consecutive NEC crown and added to an already crowded trophy case in Smithfield. Saint Francis U was chosen as the runner-up, followed by fellow NEC contender Fairleigh Dickinson. Wagner was slotted fourth, followed by Mount St. Mary’s in fifth place. Sacred Heart and St. Francis Brooklyn rounded out the seven-team poll. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. The Mercer County Tennis Center in West Windsor, NJ will once again serve as the venue for the seven-team single-elimination NEC championship from April 20-22. The winner will earn the NEC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament field.
2018 Northeast Conference Men’s Tennis Preseason Coaches Poll 1. Bryant (6) 2. Saint Francis U 3. Fairleigh Dickinson 4. Wagner 5. Mount St. Mary’s 6. Sacred Heart 7. St. Francis Brooklyn First place votes in parentheses
It’s hard to go against a Bryant team that was honored with All-NEC awards in all six singles and all three doubles flights last season, with every single one of those players back in the fold for the Bulldogs and 12th-year head coach Ron Gendron. Gendron himself is the five-time reigning NEC Coach of the Year, the only such honoree in league history. Under his guidance, the Bulldogs are 21-1 against NEC rivals the last four years. While Gendron returns an all-star at every spot in the lineup, his most lethal weapon is junior Matt Kuhar (Smithfield, RI/Smithfield). Kuhar was unanimously named the 2016-17 NEC Player of the Year after finishing with a 19-6 overall record and 6-0 mark against league rivals. The local Smithfield product has since taken his game to another level, picking up a win last month against Cal’s Billy Griffith, who has been ranked as high as 49th nationally, and was up a set on 17th-ranked Ferran Calvo of Oklahoma when their match was halted in the second set on that same trip. Joining Kuhar in the stacked Bryant lineup are seniors Jorge Ortiz-Garcia (Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico/Cupeyville School) and Luke Lorenz (Colorado Springs, CO/Discovery Canyon Campus). Ortiz-Garcia earned his third straight first team All-NEC nod at #6 singles last season, while Lorenz was a second team honoree a year ago at #2 singles after collecting first team awards his first two years. Junior Artur Jakubowski (Dallas, TX) picked up his second straight All-NEC first team honor last season, this time at #3 singles, while junior Michael Plutt (Weston, FL/Cypress Bay) was voted to the second team at #5 singles a year (Four-Time Defending Champion Bryant Tops NEC Men’s Tennis Preseason Rankings • Page 1-of-2) Bryant University • Central Connecticut State University • Fairleigh Dickinson University • LIU Brooklyn Mount St. Mary’s University • Robert Morris University • Sacred Heart University St. Francis Brooklyn • Saint Francis University • Wagner College
after earned first team honors at the #5 flight. Rounding out Bryant’s long list of NEC all-stars is sophomore Guido Argentini (Boca Raton, FL/Magallan Tennis Academy (Spanish River)), who was tabbed to the first team as a freshman in the #4 spot. Between them, Bryant returnees have piled up 13 All-NEC awards the last three years. Look for 6’4” first year player Wilson Dong (Bradenton, FL/IMG Academy) to crack the singles lineup as well this spring. The Bulldogs will once again be battle tested when the postseason arrives, having already secured wins over Creighton and Lamar, while competing admirably in losses to then #15 Oklahoma State, #18 Oklahoma and #19 California. Now in his fifth year, Saint Francis U head coach Rob Castille has taken the Red Flash program to new heights, having reached two straight NEC finals under his watchful eye. SFU sports two of the NEC’s best in sophomore Franz Luna (Guatemala City, Guatemala Laurel Springs) and senior Alec Dylan Foo-Kune (Phoenix, Mauritius/International Connections Academy (MD)). Luna was named the 2016-17 NEC Rookie of the Year after he paced the circuit with 22 wins. The Guatemala native finished with a 15-3 record in #2 flight play and went 5-0 against NEC competition. He was also one of three freshman voted onto the All-NEC first team. Foo-Kune collected his third All-NEC singles honor last spring with his selection to the second team at #1 singles. He was a second-teamer at #3 in 2015 and a first team all-star at #2 singles the following year. Along with his two all-stars, Castille will look to blend in a number of newcomers into the lineup, including freshmen Charles Morkel (Cape Town, South Africa/Paul Roos Gymnasium) and Sebastian Pinos (Quito, Ecuador/Compuinformatica). Fairleigh Dickinson hopes to return to the top of the NEC ladder this season under third-year head coach Jeff Brandes, but he will need his youthful lineup to mature quickly. With five freshman on the roster, Brandes will look to veterans Adam Chan (Hillingdon, England/Langley Grammar School) and William Bourne (Stamford, England/Stamford) for leadership. Chan, who has twice earned All-NEC doubles recognition in his career, won 11 singles matches last year. Both Chan and Bourne posted winning records in tournament competition this past fall, while freshman Niclas Pietsch (Berlin, Germany/Otto Nagel Gymnasium) opened his FDU career with eight wins in 12 singles matches. Two schools have new head coaches leading their programs. Sacred Heart welcomed William Boe-Wiegaard last September following a 13-year professional career on the ATP and ITF tours. He was a five-time All-America selection at Bates College and won the 2006 NCAA DIII singles championship. Wagner, which has reached the NEC semis in each of the last three years, named Shem Filipek head coach last August. Filipek was an All-MAAC player at Monmouth and led the Hawks to back-to-back MAAC titles in 2016 and 2017. He won 56 career singles matches and was 26-2 against league rivals. About The Northeast Conference Now in its 37th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30). Founded in 1981 as the basketballonly ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www. necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, all @NECsports.
(Four-Time Defending Champion Bryant Tops NEC Men’s Tennis Preseason Rankings • Page 2-of-2)
