Saturday, February 6
2 p.m.
Lehigh University
vs
Drexel
Lehigh men’s tennis kicks off 2016 campaign with two home matches this weekend
2/5/2016 9:56:00 AM | Men's Tennis
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh men's tennis team's quest to return to the top of the Patriot League begins this weekend when the Mountain Hawks open up the 2016 season with two home matches at the Lewis Tennis Center. Lehigh welcomes Drexel at 2 p.m. Saturday before hosting Saint Francis (Pa.) at 2 p.m. Sunday to kick off the spring season.
"We have a very deep roster this year," said Howard Talmud '77 Head Coach Wouter Hendrix, who enters his fourth season as the leader of the Lehigh men. "Everyone can play so it's going to be interesting to see who proves they're worthy of a starting spot. We don't really have a lot of weaknesses, so we can win in every spot which makes for a tough out."
The Mountain Hawks finished the 2015 campaign with a 12-10 overall record. Lehigh was ousted from the Patriot League Tournament in the quarterfinal round as the sixth-seeded Mountain Hawks fell 4-3 to third-seeded Boston University, snapping Lehigh's five-year streak of semifinal appearances. Hendrix faces the challenge of replacing a pair of strong graduated seniors from the 2015 campaign in Ben Gilman and Mitchell Petersen. Gilman was a four-time first team All-Patriot League honoree, while Petersen notched 55 singles wins and 40 doubles victories during his time in the Brown and White.
This season, Hendrix will be turning to seniors Jeremy Kochman and Ricardo Prince to lead a roster of five juniors, two sophomores and four freshmen. Kochman earned second team All-Patriot League laurels a season ago as he finished second on the team with 14 singles victories and led the squad with 10 doubles wins alongside Gilman. Prince made his varsity debut two years ago and will push for more playing time this season.
"We have good leadership in Jeremy Kochman and Ricardo Prince," said Hendrix. "I'm very comfortable with their leadership abilities and the culture of accountability and focus that they've helped developed."
Lehigh's large junior class features Ethan Bogard, Tyler Hansen, Graham Lehman, Colin Nardella and Jason Sutker. Bogard saw the most action of the group a season ago as he went 13-8 in singles play, including a 4-2 mark against league opponents, playing primarily at the fifth flight and 9-12 at No. 2 doubles. Hansen held down the No. 6 singles spot in 2015, going 5-6 overall, while Nardella posted a 2-3 record in five singles matches. Lehman was a regular starter at No. 3 doubles. Sutker did not see any varsity action a season ago, but will look to push himself into the lineup in 2016.
Sophomores Jack Petersen and Dylan Karchere-Sun will look to build upon the valuable experience they gained during their rookie seasons. Petersen started his freshman campaign at No. 2 singles before settling at the No. 3 position. He went 11-9 in singles action, including a 10-5 mark at the No. 3 flight, and 9-13 in doubles action alongside Lehman. Karchere-Sun went 2-3 in five singles matches a season ago.
Lehigh welcomes four talented newcomers to the 2016 squad in Christopher Auteri, Sam Bencheghib, Bryant Born and George Cooper.
"We're bringing in four freshman and this class was voted as one of the top 30 mid-major classes in the country," said Hendrix. "I expect a lot from our freshmen and have been very happy with the way they've competed and performed so far. I expect them to make a lot of contributions."
The Mountain Hawks face their first test of 2016 when Lehigh hosts Drexel at 2 p.m. Saturday inside the Lewis Tennis Center. The Dragons are off to a 2-0 start this season after claiming victories over St. Francis Brooklyn (7-0) and Morgan State (4-3). Drexel went 10-10 a season ago and Lehigh claimed a 5-2 win over the Dragons in last season's meeting on Feb. 7. Gilman and Kochman won at No. 2 doubles and then both posted three-set singles wins, with Kochman earning the clinching point at the No. 4 flight. Jack Petersen and Bogard also earned singles victories.
Lehigh will then host Saint Francis (Pa.) Sunday at 2 p.m. The Red Flash are 3-0 on the young season after earning road victories at Howard (7-0), Navy (4-3) and Niagara (7-0). Saint Francis will take on Lafayette Saturday before traveling to Lehigh Sunday. The Mountain Hawks earned a 6-1 win over the Red Flash in last season's meeting on Feb. 8 as Lehigh lost the top flight matches in both singles and doubles, but won the other two doubles matches and the remaining five singles matches.
The Mountain Hawks will once again face a challenging schedule in 2016, with the benefit of playing their first 10 matches at home in the friendly confines of the Lewis Tennis Center. Once weather permits, Lehigh will take to the newly renovated outdoor Ulrich Varsity Courts. Following this weekend's action, the Mountain Hawks will also host Stony Brook, Delaware, Mount St. Mary's, Muhlenberg, Kutztown, Saint Joseph's, Rider and Villanova prior to Spring Break.
Lehigh will head to Puerto Rico for three matches in two days over Spring Break. Lehigh will face Armstrong, NJIT and Denison while in Puerto Rico.
The Mountain Hawks will then return home to open Patriot League play against Loyola on March 20. Lehigh will also host league opponents Colgate (April 2) and Bucknell (April 12). The Mountain Hawks will travel to defending tournament champion Navy (March 26), defending regular-season champion Army West Point (April 15), archrival Lafayette (April 18) and Holy Cross (April 23), in addition to playing a neutral site match against Boston University in West Point, N.Y. on April 16. Lehigh will host the Patriot League Tournament on the Ulrich Varisty Courts from April 28-30.
"The men were picked fourth, but we don't want to be in the middle of the pack," said Hendrix. "Our goal is to win the championship every year."
"We have a very deep roster this year," said Howard Talmud '77 Head Coach Wouter Hendrix, who enters his fourth season as the leader of the Lehigh men. "Everyone can play so it's going to be interesting to see who proves they're worthy of a starting spot. We don't really have a lot of weaknesses, so we can win in every spot which makes for a tough out."
The Mountain Hawks finished the 2015 campaign with a 12-10 overall record. Lehigh was ousted from the Patriot League Tournament in the quarterfinal round as the sixth-seeded Mountain Hawks fell 4-3 to third-seeded Boston University, snapping Lehigh's five-year streak of semifinal appearances. Hendrix faces the challenge of replacing a pair of strong graduated seniors from the 2015 campaign in Ben Gilman and Mitchell Petersen. Gilman was a four-time first team All-Patriot League honoree, while Petersen notched 55 singles wins and 40 doubles victories during his time in the Brown and White.
This season, Hendrix will be turning to seniors Jeremy Kochman and Ricardo Prince to lead a roster of five juniors, two sophomores and four freshmen. Kochman earned second team All-Patriot League laurels a season ago as he finished second on the team with 14 singles victories and led the squad with 10 doubles wins alongside Gilman. Prince made his varsity debut two years ago and will push for more playing time this season.
"We have good leadership in Jeremy Kochman and Ricardo Prince," said Hendrix. "I'm very comfortable with their leadership abilities and the culture of accountability and focus that they've helped developed."
Lehigh's large junior class features Ethan Bogard, Tyler Hansen, Graham Lehman, Colin Nardella and Jason Sutker. Bogard saw the most action of the group a season ago as he went 13-8 in singles play, including a 4-2 mark against league opponents, playing primarily at the fifth flight and 9-12 at No. 2 doubles. Hansen held down the No. 6 singles spot in 2015, going 5-6 overall, while Nardella posted a 2-3 record in five singles matches. Lehman was a regular starter at No. 3 doubles. Sutker did not see any varsity action a season ago, but will look to push himself into the lineup in 2016.
Sophomores Jack Petersen and Dylan Karchere-Sun will look to build upon the valuable experience they gained during their rookie seasons. Petersen started his freshman campaign at No. 2 singles before settling at the No. 3 position. He went 11-9 in singles action, including a 10-5 mark at the No. 3 flight, and 9-13 in doubles action alongside Lehman. Karchere-Sun went 2-3 in five singles matches a season ago.
Lehigh welcomes four talented newcomers to the 2016 squad in Christopher Auteri, Sam Bencheghib, Bryant Born and George Cooper.
"We're bringing in four freshman and this class was voted as one of the top 30 mid-major classes in the country," said Hendrix. "I expect a lot from our freshmen and have been very happy with the way they've competed and performed so far. I expect them to make a lot of contributions."
The Mountain Hawks face their first test of 2016 when Lehigh hosts Drexel at 2 p.m. Saturday inside the Lewis Tennis Center. The Dragons are off to a 2-0 start this season after claiming victories over St. Francis Brooklyn (7-0) and Morgan State (4-3). Drexel went 10-10 a season ago and Lehigh claimed a 5-2 win over the Dragons in last season's meeting on Feb. 7. Gilman and Kochman won at No. 2 doubles and then both posted three-set singles wins, with Kochman earning the clinching point at the No. 4 flight. Jack Petersen and Bogard also earned singles victories.
Lehigh will then host Saint Francis (Pa.) Sunday at 2 p.m. The Red Flash are 3-0 on the young season after earning road victories at Howard (7-0), Navy (4-3) and Niagara (7-0). Saint Francis will take on Lafayette Saturday before traveling to Lehigh Sunday. The Mountain Hawks earned a 6-1 win over the Red Flash in last season's meeting on Feb. 8 as Lehigh lost the top flight matches in both singles and doubles, but won the other two doubles matches and the remaining five singles matches.
The Mountain Hawks will once again face a challenging schedule in 2016, with the benefit of playing their first 10 matches at home in the friendly confines of the Lewis Tennis Center. Once weather permits, Lehigh will take to the newly renovated outdoor Ulrich Varsity Courts. Following this weekend's action, the Mountain Hawks will also host Stony Brook, Delaware, Mount St. Mary's, Muhlenberg, Kutztown, Saint Joseph's, Rider and Villanova prior to Spring Break.
Lehigh will head to Puerto Rico for three matches in two days over Spring Break. Lehigh will face Armstrong, NJIT and Denison while in Puerto Rico.
The Mountain Hawks will then return home to open Patriot League play against Loyola on March 20. Lehigh will also host league opponents Colgate (April 2) and Bucknell (April 12). The Mountain Hawks will travel to defending tournament champion Navy (March 26), defending regular-season champion Army West Point (April 15), archrival Lafayette (April 18) and Holy Cross (April 23), in addition to playing a neutral site match against Boston University in West Point, N.Y. on April 16. Lehigh will host the Patriot League Tournament on the Ulrich Varisty Courts from April 28-30.
"The men were picked fourth, but we don't want to be in the middle of the pack," said Hendrix. "Our goal is to win the championship every year."
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