Men's Tennis Dominates Season-Opening Tourney

Author: Bob Wainwright

Three years ago, the Middlebury men's tennis team finished seventh out of eight teams in the fall season's annual opening tournament, the Middlebury Invitational. Oh, what a difference 1,095 days can make. By entering its entire squad of 16 into the Invitational, Middlebury finished not only first, but also second, if one were to split up the squad in the proper fashion.
Every member of the 16-man team won at least two matches between singles and doubles, with first-years Nate Edmunds (A Draw) and Brian Waldron (B Draw) both emerging as singles champions. But since this will have been the only time this year the entire team will be entered into one large tournament, now is the time to highlight everyone.
Steve Hulce, the aged and battered co-captain of the squad, played his best match in the quarterfinals of the singles against an old foe, Colin Joyner of Bowdoin. It was great to see Hulce hitting his ground strokes with ferocity once again, and he won, 6-2, 7-5.
Edmunds played, quite possibly, the smartest match in recent Middlebury history against Bowdoin's McAfee Burke, by playing every point big, but the big points bigger. He won 6-3, 6-4. Another first-year, Ari Beilin, did not fare as well against Burke when he played him in the semis, but did make it to the finals of the doubles draw. The Hulce/Beilin doubles final has yet to be played, for it is against teammates Edmunds and Justin Ingoglia '05, who also lost in three sets to Bowdoin's Burke.
Co-captain Stu Brown and senior Bob Wainwright each lost tough first round matches in three sets but then put on a serving exhibition in Nelson for their second matches, nailing 21 aces between them in two wins against Vassar. Alex Meditz '05, nicknamed Ice Man due to his on-court composure took down two opponents in straight sets before falling to eventual champion Waldron in the B Draw. Waldron hit serves well over 120 miles per hour in his 7-5, 6-2 final.
First-year Matt Rales teamed up with sophomore Michael DiRaimondo in doubles to form an overpowering team that lost only one game in two matches against Coast Guard and Drew. Another solid doubles team consisted of senior Rick Jamgochian and Jeff Oldenburg '06, who made it to the finals of their draw. Jamgochian and Oldenburg also did well in singles, making it to the semi-finals and finals, respectively. They both fell to the same Bowdoin opponent.
Sophomore Andrew Jacobi's first singles match came against a strong woman player from Coast Guard. Jacobi emerged on top in the end, but fell in the quarter-finals. Chris Jennings '03, who has had as storied a tennis career as anyone, showed the crowd a little of his wizard-like magic in his first match, which he won easily. He also teamed up with sophomore Scott Palmer to create a crafty doubles duo, which put together two strong wins. Michael Gillim also won both his first singles and doubles matches, fighting for every ball along the way, which is what he does best.
Overall, it was a great way for Middlebury to start the season. The first-years showed what they are capable of, while the veterans put together some strong wins of their own.