Editor’s Note: The following article, along with the articles on the two senior athletes and game of the year, are The Pioneer’s own picks based off of a year of coverage of all varsity athletics.
In a year that featured major growth and success on the part of several varsity teams, the prowess of the Whitman men’s tennis team stood, yet again, nearly unmatched.
The hits just kept on coming for the team this season: and on their heels, a host of wins and awards.
Mounting another dominant campaign, the men served, smashed and rallied their way to a perfect 16-0 record against their Northwest Conference opponents. On April 18 they downed Pacific Lutheran to claim their second consecutive conference title, which secured them an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III national championships.
The group chalked up a 24-4 overall mark, the best of head coach Jeff Northam’s twelve-year tenure, and are seated 26th in the most recent Division III national rankings, third highest among schools on the west coast.
This significant success has garnered honors for a number of individuals. Sophomores Chris Bailey and Etienne Moshevich and junior Dan Wilson were named to the All-NWC First Team. Bailey, Moshevich and senior Justin Hayashi each won the conference’s Student-Athlete of the Week award.
Yet perhaps most notable was Northam’s award for NWC men’s tennis Coach of the Year: his second straight and the fourth of his career.
“He deserves it,” said junior Nadeem Kassam of Northam’s selection. “I would give all the accolade to Coach [Northam]. He has done a great job, and he is really dedicated to this team.”
Although the team came into the season primed for success, some trepidation arose regarding the losses of two of its strongest players, defending NWC Player of the Year junior Matt Solomon and his older brother senior Daniel Solomon.
But it appears that those remaining players harnessed this as motivation to practice and perform with even more diligence: and absence, in a way, made the team grow stronger.
“We lost our top player, so a lot of people had to step up and fill that gap,” Wilson said. “Anyone can play in the top group, so it forces you to work harder.”
And the work, it seems, has yielded widespread results.
“I believe every single person on our team has become much better,” Kassam said.
Beyond their worthy accomplishments in the past year, all signs point to an even brighter future for the team. With most of the current roster set to return next season, and a strong recruiting class waiting in the wings, 2009-10 will bring aspirations for a whole new level of success: including, as Wilson sees it, a chance for the ultimate achievement.
As Wilson put it, “I think we’ll have a shot to contend for a national championship.”
