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Division III Tennis May is the month for college tennis championships, and not just for the larger schools in NCAA Division I. Take a look at the titles that are up for grab this month:
Although much of the focus is on the larger state schools of D1 tennis, the quality of tennis play in these other divisions can be quite high. Just this year, there are 36 recruits rated 4 Stars or better heading to a division outside of NCAA Division I.
Just like D1, these other divisions have dedicated fans. For D3 tennis, a recent website - the Division III Tennis Blog - has a large following of knowledgable followers.
Today, the author of Division III Tennis, who prefers to remain anonymous, stops by with a preview of the Final 8 which starts tomorrow on campus at Bates College. Take a look at these insightful previews - and also check out the strength of the recent recruiting classes at all eight programs.
Division III Men's Tennis Preview
To say this has been a crazy year in Division 3 Men's tennis is an understatement. We've had six different teams hold the #1 spot in the country, and seeing a top 5 team lose to a double-digit opponent was a weekly occurrence. We've already had plenty of drama in the Regionals, especially with defending champion UC Santa Cruz losing to CMS.
We are now down to the
Final 8 and the focus of the Division 3 Tennis community will turn to the
Wallach Tennis Center at
Bates College for the next six days. Let's take a look at the matches.
Kenyon vs. Emory
The story of this year is definitely the Kenyon Lords. They got transfer Mike Greenberg from Wake Forest who has led the team, and they have posted a nearly flawless 25-1 record. Kenyon has a lot of heart and they will need it as they take on annual powerhouse Emory University in the quarterfinals. Emory is definitely the favorite going into the match but with Greenberg's leadership, the Lords have the potential to pull the upset.
Kenyon finds themselves in their first Elite 8 in school history and they hope their dream season can continue. If Emory can get by this match, they are probably the favorite to win the whole thing.
Mary Washington vs. Middlebury
Next we have another great match with Mary Washington taking on Middlebury. Mary Washington had their backs against the wall not once, but twice at Regionals, and they came out victorious, knocking off the #5 ranked Trinity (TX) Tigers.
Middlebury is another D3 powerhouse who happens to be a very young team this year. Coach Dave Schwarz is one of the best coaches in the country and always has his team ready to play. This match probably will be won in doubles, as the singles matches are very even top to bottom.
CMS vs. Williams
CMS defeated the defending national champions to earn themselves a spot at Bates to take on Williams. CMS is the most talented team in the country but they have had an up and down season with injury problems. They have been without superstar sophomore Michael Lim for the last month, who played #1 in the beginning of the year.
Williams easily defeated CMS 7-2 earlier in the season, but expect a different outcome this time, as the Stags will come out firing with their superior doubles. Williams has probably the deepest singles lineup in the country, and they will need everyone to contribute if they want to conquer the Stags.
Washington vs. Gustavus Adolphus The last quarterfinal will have Wash U-St. Louis facing Gustavus Adolphus. The Gusties won the National Indoor Championships in February and have been in the top 6 in the country ever since. They definitely prefer indoor tennis, but they are very tough anywhere, especially in doubles. Gustavus prides themselves on their doubles, and they will really need at least two doubles wins this match because they are overmatched in singles.
Wash U has a fantastic singles lineup top to bottom. This probably will be the least-competitive quarterfinal match because Wash U is just too strong in singles at every position.
Crystal Ball
I'm going to pick Emory to win the championships with a victory over Wash U in the finals. CMS should come in third and Middlebury fourth.
In the singles tournament, the clear favorite is Mike Greenberg from Kenyon. He has posted a 29-2 record on the year and has dominated every opponent that he's played. Other contenders in singles will be John Watts from Wash U-St. Louis, Andy Bryan from Gustavus Adolphus, Michael Goodwin from Emory and Lawrence Wang from CMS. My darkhorse pick to win the tournament is Max Ortiz from UC Santa Cruz. He's very dangerous if he's healthy.
Doubles is very difficult to pick. There are a lot of very good teams who all seem to beat each other. I have to go with Randy Loden/Kaz Murata from Mary Washington as the favorites. They've been unbeatable lately. The contenders are Jared Kamel/Marc Vartabedian from Santa Cruz, Wang/Guillaume Schils from CMS, Oliver Gaines/Ryan Desantis from Trinity (TX) and Charlie Cutler/Chris Hoeland from Wash U. My darkhorse pick to win the doubles tournament is David Ashlock/Dustin Phillips from Texas Tyler.
Hopefully I'll be back in a week for a wrap up from Maine. Good luck to all the competitors.
(Editor's note: Follow the action all week at Division III Tennis as well as the official tournament website.)
