Friday, April 25
West Point, N.Y.
11:00 AM
Lehigh University
vs
Colgate
Goldberg leads defending champion Lehigh into upcoming PLT
4/24/2014 3:26:00 PM | Men's Tennis
After four years and numerous accolades, Lehigh senior tennis star Mark Goldberg is putting the finishing touches on an illustrious career in the Brown and White. A Patriot League Champion, a three-time All-Patriot League selection and a member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, Goldberg has embodied and embraced what it takes to be a successful student athlete at Lehigh.
They say blood is thicker than water and when it comes to tennis a ball and a racket are probably imprinted somewhere on Goldberg's DNA. Having picked up tennis around the age of three, Goldberg's love for the game came from both his parents, who played collegiate tennis; his father at University of Tampa and his mother at Columbia.
"My parents played college tennis and loved the experience so much; they felt I should be able to have the same experience if not better," Goldberg said.
A native of Beachwood, Ohio, Goldberg excelled at Beachwood High School, leaving the school as the Ohio Division II State runner up in both singles and doubles his junior and senior seasons.
Upon graduation, Goldberg chose Lehigh in which he cites as a very easy decision for him.
"I wanted to compete for a conference championship and be able to start all four years," Goldberg said. "Lehigh was a no-brainer."
As a freshman, Goldberg burst onto the scene with a 17-2 singles record that included an 8-0 mark against Patriot League opponents, while manning the No. 4 singles spot and playing No. 3 doubles. As a testament to his hard work, Goldberg was named the team's Most Outstanding Player and earned second team All-Patriot League honors. As a team, the Mountain Hawks reached the Patriot League Championship match. Goldberg also was named Lehigh's Outstanding Freshman Male Athlete.
In his sophomore season, Goldberg moved up to the No. 1 singles and No. 2 doubles positions, where he first teamed with current partner Mitchell Petersen. Goldberg went on to earn first team All-League honors, following a 7-8 singles season and a 9-8 doubles mark.
Goldberg has always been regarded for his toughness. In his junior year of high school, He fought through dehydration and performed admirably in the state final just an hour after receiving fluids from the medical staff.
In his last two seasons at Lehigh, Goldberg has continued to show toughness, battling his way through injuries that have limited his availability in singles matches. Last year, Goldberg was just 6-6 in singles but powered through the Patriot League Tournament to help lead the Mountain Hawks to their first Patriot League Championship, as Lehigh dethroned the Military Academies which hadn't lost a Patriot League Tournament since 2004.
With the Mountain Hawks gearing up to defend their league title, Goldberg has posted a 5-8 doubles record at the top flight, while being rested to the point he has only played nine singles matches to date in 2014.
"Coaching Mark is an honor and a pleasure," explained Lehigh head coach Wouter Hendrix. "He is one of the most talented players ever to set foot on a Lehigh tennis court. His game is extremely varied which enables him to utilize a wide set of strategies."
This year, Goldberg was named a captain for the first time in his Lehigh career. With the majority of the team being underclassmen, Goldberg's experience and guidance has been invaluable for a team with many fresh faces.
"The biggest adjustment to becoming a captain is making sure that you are always positive," Goldberg said. "There's pressure for you to set the tone and with half our team being freshman just reaching out and making sure the team is okay both on and off the court."
Hendrix sees Goldberg's growth as a player as one of the reasons he has become such a good leader.
"Mark is vocal, tough, super competitive, hardworking, and smart," Hendrix said. "All these skills make him a terrific leader. Mark's playing through pain in the last year's championship helped us win the title which is something I will always be grateful for."
A man of many interests, Goldberg says he spends his time off the court cleaning and enjoying a good movie – even when subtitles are involved.
"I am a little bit of a neat freak so I would consider one of my hobbies to be cleaning," Goldberg said. "I also really love to watch movies, and I'd have to say my favorite would be the Untouchables, it's a French movie with subtitles."
Upon graduation Goldberg has plans to work in real estate for Silvershore Properties in New York City.
In four years, Goldberg has seen noticeable improvements in his game as he has become more comfortable with different facets of his skill set.
"I would say my backhand has gotten a lot better," Goldberg said. "Coming in freshman year I couldn't step onto the court and have the confidence to use my backhand, now I see myself using it a lot more in my game."
Goldberg isn't the only person who's seen his game come along way.
"Mark started off freshman year playing at the four spot and has moved all the way up to No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles," Hendrix said. "I think that speaks for itself."
Goldberg's most memorable moments from his Lehigh career come from last year's championship run that culminated in a NCAA Tournament matchup at Ole Miss.
"Over all my experiences at Lehigh have been amazing," Goldberg said. "Over the past four years we have created our own reputation in the Patriot League. Not only did we beat both academies for the first time in 30 years, but we've had four winning seasons and won a Patriot League title. I couldn't have asked for more.
He concluded, "I am lucky to have been coached by such a great coach in Wouter Hendrix. He believes in me no matter what, whether I'm injured or just not playing well he has always had my back."
Headed into his last Patriot league tournament, Goldberg believes the Mountain Hawks are in prime position to repeat as Patriot League champions. While there are a lot of young new faces on the roster, there are also plenty of returning contributors from last year's squad. Lehigh completed the regular season at 11-7 overall and 3-2 in the league, good for fourth place in the league standings.
"We have a lot to look forward to," Goldberg said. "Four of our top six guys have played in two or more league tournaments. The freshmen will get their first chance to prove themselves on the big stage and to the rest of the league. We went 3-2 in the league, including a close 4-3 loss to Navy on the road (just last weekend). We believe we can hang with the best teams in this league."
The Patriot League Tournament begins Thursday at West Point, N.Y. with Lehigh's quarterfinal matchup with Colgate set for Friday at 11 a.m. from Army's Malek Tennis Courts. The Mountain Hawks earned the No. 4 seed and will play the fifth-seeded Raiders for the second time this month. Lehigh defeated Colgate 6-1 back on April 12.
The winner of the Lehigh-Colgate match will face the winner of Friday's first quarterfinal between top seed Army and the winner of Thursday's first round match between Lafayette and Holy Cross. That match will begin at 10 a.m. The Patriot League Championship match is set for noon on Sunday.
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They say blood is thicker than water and when it comes to tennis a ball and a racket are probably imprinted somewhere on Goldberg's DNA. Having picked up tennis around the age of three, Goldberg's love for the game came from both his parents, who played collegiate tennis; his father at University of Tampa and his mother at Columbia.
"My parents played college tennis and loved the experience so much; they felt I should be able to have the same experience if not better," Goldberg said.
A native of Beachwood, Ohio, Goldberg excelled at Beachwood High School, leaving the school as the Ohio Division II State runner up in both singles and doubles his junior and senior seasons.
Upon graduation, Goldberg chose Lehigh in which he cites as a very easy decision for him.
"I wanted to compete for a conference championship and be able to start all four years," Goldberg said. "Lehigh was a no-brainer."
As a freshman, Goldberg burst onto the scene with a 17-2 singles record that included an 8-0 mark against Patriot League opponents, while manning the No. 4 singles spot and playing No. 3 doubles. As a testament to his hard work, Goldberg was named the team's Most Outstanding Player and earned second team All-Patriot League honors. As a team, the Mountain Hawks reached the Patriot League Championship match. Goldberg also was named Lehigh's Outstanding Freshman Male Athlete.
In his sophomore season, Goldberg moved up to the No. 1 singles and No. 2 doubles positions, where he first teamed with current partner Mitchell Petersen. Goldberg went on to earn first team All-League honors, following a 7-8 singles season and a 9-8 doubles mark.
Goldberg has always been regarded for his toughness. In his junior year of high school, He fought through dehydration and performed admirably in the state final just an hour after receiving fluids from the medical staff.
In his last two seasons at Lehigh, Goldberg has continued to show toughness, battling his way through injuries that have limited his availability in singles matches. Last year, Goldberg was just 6-6 in singles but powered through the Patriot League Tournament to help lead the Mountain Hawks to their first Patriot League Championship, as Lehigh dethroned the Military Academies which hadn't lost a Patriot League Tournament since 2004.
With the Mountain Hawks gearing up to defend their league title, Goldberg has posted a 5-8 doubles record at the top flight, while being rested to the point he has only played nine singles matches to date in 2014.
"Coaching Mark is an honor and a pleasure," explained Lehigh head coach Wouter Hendrix. "He is one of the most talented players ever to set foot on a Lehigh tennis court. His game is extremely varied which enables him to utilize a wide set of strategies."
This year, Goldberg was named a captain for the first time in his Lehigh career. With the majority of the team being underclassmen, Goldberg's experience and guidance has been invaluable for a team with many fresh faces.
"The biggest adjustment to becoming a captain is making sure that you are always positive," Goldberg said. "There's pressure for you to set the tone and with half our team being freshman just reaching out and making sure the team is okay both on and off the court."
Hendrix sees Goldberg's growth as a player as one of the reasons he has become such a good leader.
"Mark is vocal, tough, super competitive, hardworking, and smart," Hendrix said. "All these skills make him a terrific leader. Mark's playing through pain in the last year's championship helped us win the title which is something I will always be grateful for."
A man of many interests, Goldberg says he spends his time off the court cleaning and enjoying a good movie – even when subtitles are involved.
"I am a little bit of a neat freak so I would consider one of my hobbies to be cleaning," Goldberg said. "I also really love to watch movies, and I'd have to say my favorite would be the Untouchables, it's a French movie with subtitles."
Upon graduation Goldberg has plans to work in real estate for Silvershore Properties in New York City.
In four years, Goldberg has seen noticeable improvements in his game as he has become more comfortable with different facets of his skill set.
"I would say my backhand has gotten a lot better," Goldberg said. "Coming in freshman year I couldn't step onto the court and have the confidence to use my backhand, now I see myself using it a lot more in my game."
Goldberg isn't the only person who's seen his game come along way.
"Mark started off freshman year playing at the four spot and has moved all the way up to No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles," Hendrix said. "I think that speaks for itself."
Goldberg's most memorable moments from his Lehigh career come from last year's championship run that culminated in a NCAA Tournament matchup at Ole Miss.
"Over all my experiences at Lehigh have been amazing," Goldberg said. "Over the past four years we have created our own reputation in the Patriot League. Not only did we beat both academies for the first time in 30 years, but we've had four winning seasons and won a Patriot League title. I couldn't have asked for more.
He concluded, "I am lucky to have been coached by such a great coach in Wouter Hendrix. He believes in me no matter what, whether I'm injured or just not playing well he has always had my back."
Headed into his last Patriot league tournament, Goldberg believes the Mountain Hawks are in prime position to repeat as Patriot League champions. While there are a lot of young new faces on the roster, there are also plenty of returning contributors from last year's squad. Lehigh completed the regular season at 11-7 overall and 3-2 in the league, good for fourth place in the league standings.
"We have a lot to look forward to," Goldberg said. "Four of our top six guys have played in two or more league tournaments. The freshmen will get their first chance to prove themselves on the big stage and to the rest of the league. We went 3-2 in the league, including a close 4-3 loss to Navy on the road (just last weekend). We believe we can hang with the best teams in this league."
The Patriot League Tournament begins Thursday at West Point, N.Y. with Lehigh's quarterfinal matchup with Colgate set for Friday at 11 a.m. from Army's Malek Tennis Courts. The Mountain Hawks earned the No. 4 seed and will play the fifth-seeded Raiders for the second time this month. Lehigh defeated Colgate 6-1 back on April 12.
The winner of the Lehigh-Colgate match will face the winner of Friday's first quarterfinal between top seed Army and the winner of Thursday's first round match between Lafayette and Holy Cross. That match will begin at 10 a.m. The Patriot League Championship match is set for noon on Sunday.
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