Edmunds Leads Tennis to Epic Finish

Author: Sean Breen

In one of the toughest spots the squad has ever found itself in, the Middlebury men's tennis team acquitted itself this weekend with a truly memorable display of grit and fiery determination at last weekends ITA Regional Championship in MIT. The young squad of Nathan Edmunds '06, Brian Waldron '06, Ari Beilin '06, Kevin Bergesen '07, George Meyer '07 and Alex Scott '07, along with doubles players Jeff Oldenburg '06, Andrew Jacobi '05 and Stu Brown '04, easily passed through their Friday matches.

Saturday developed into one of the most memorable days in recent tennis history. Mayer defeated John Mardsden out of Trinity in straight sets 6-0, 6-1. Scott lost to Will Boe-Weigaard, the #3 seed out of Bates, 6-4, 6-3. Bergesen lost to Richard Lawrence, the #6 seed out of Trinity, 7-6, 6-2. Waldron defeated Johnny Hart of Trinity in decisive fashion after a brief stumble in the second set: 6-4, 1-6, 6-0. Beilin cruised over Pat Keneally of Bowdoin 6-4, 6-2. Finally, in an epic match that lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes, Edmunds defeated Lex Urban with a strong third set: 6-2, 4-6, 6-0.

In the afternoon the quarterfinals began with Middlebury still running strong having four single players competing. Mayer played well, but lost to Evan Tindell, the #1 seed from MIT and top returning player in the country, 6-4, 6-3. Beilin also lost to 2002 NESCAC Champion Boe-Wiegaard 6-3, 6-1. Waldron rolled over Lawrence 6-2, 6-1 to advance into the semi-finals where Boe-Wiegaard waited.

After only an hour's rest from the morning's marathon match, Edmunds was battling again in what became a test of will power. He played well in the first set winning 6-2, but exhaustion began to set in as the match developed. Early in the second match Edmunds suffered from cramping and had trouble doing much at all with the ball. He refused to call an injury timeout, however, for fear of needing one later in the match. He lost the second set 2-6. Edmunds received a second wind early in the third set, but with the final set tied 1-1 Rilla started cramping and called a timeout. Edmunds' confidence began to rise and his body began to respond. He got up 5-2, but his left hamstring seized up on match point and Rilla was able to avoid defeat, winning the game and leaving the set at 5-3. Finally, after a grueling 3 hours and 10 minutes where at times he found himself forced to serve underhand a few times, Edmunds served out the match and won the final set 6-3.

"I couldn't really push off with my legs at all," commented Edmunds after he was rushed to the hospital following the match to get treatment for dehydration. The match was a true testament to the power of determination. "I couldn't have done it without my teammates," said Edmunds after he was feeling better. "They should be credited as much as me for the victory. It was their support from the stands that gave me the push to finish."

On Sunday only Waldron and Edmunds remained for the Panthers. In the semifinals Waldron defeated Boe-Weigaard for the second time this year, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, in a rematch of this year's Fall Invitational finals. Edmunds, who faced the feared Tindell, was still exhausted from Saturday's matches and lost 6-1, 6-3. Tindell won the tournament defeating Waldron 6-2, 6-0.

In the doubles competition, Oldenburg/Jacobi lost in the second round to Trinity 8-6. Beilin/Bergesen, who were seeded #2, lost to Williams in the quarterfinals 8-6. Brown/Waldron beat the fourth seeded team from Bates in the quarterfinals 8-1, but lost 8-2 to the top seeded team from Williams who went on to win the tournament.

Middlebury showed guts and guile in pushing themselves so hard throughout the tournament. "I think all of us realize we have a lot of potential this year," explained Edmunds, "and if we work hard in the off season and the spring we can accomplish a lot in may."