The men's tennis team capped off its fall season well at the Stony Brook Invitational this past weekend, with impressive results in both the singles and doubles brackets.
"I was very happy with this weekend's results," said Coach Colin Joyner. "The tournament featured predominantly Division I and II teams, yet we were one of the top performing teams in both singles and doubles...this tournament gave the guys a lot of confidence and showed them that they can compete at the top with the big boys."
The clinching of the "A" flight doubles crown by Jamie Neely '10 and Oscar Pena '12 was the highlight to the tournament. To reach the crown, the pair defeated D-I opponents including two Stony Brook teams. Neely and Pena also bested the top doubles team from Concordia and number one seed in the tournament, with a final score of 9-8 (7-5).
"Neely and Pena performed at a high level," Joyner said, "producing the kind of tennis that took them to the NCAA finals last year."
In the "B" doubles bracket, Josh Cranin '12 and Casey Grindon '13 contended against fierce competition, advancing to the semifinal round. They defeated teams from Concordia and Bryant, but fell to Odell and Mason of Middlebury.
In the singles brackets, six players, Josh Cranin '12, Nico Fenichell '12, Adam Davis '10, Casey Grindon '13, Kent Winingham '12 and Michael Power '11 all outplayed their opponents in the first round. However, no singles player advanced to the semifinal round.
"The tournament went really well this weekend," said Neely. "We faced tough D-I and D-II players, and it was great to see everyone compete hard against them. We showed that we can compete with some very strong players."
With the fall season just ending, the team has already begun to look ahead to the spring.
"For the spring season we will definitely be working on our fitness," said Neely.
"These results will be very motivating to the team in preparation for the spring," Joyner said. "I think we will compete neck and neck with the top teams this year—should be a fun spring."