BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace men's tennis team will look to senior leadership and young potential to climb the Ohio Athletic Conference ladder, under Head Coach Brian Rector's '89 direction.
Rector enters his 30th campaign here at BW after finishing the 2017-18 season with a 15-5 overall record and 5-3 mark in conference action. The Yellow Jackets have advanced to the OAC semifinals for three straight seasons and hope to make it further this year with a championship bid. Fulfilling the true meaning of student-athletes, the Yellow Jackets have earned the Team Intercollegiate Tennis Association award for the eigth year in a row, and will also feature four seniors in the 2018 campaign compared to last year's one.
Of those seniors are Academic All-OAC selections, Roger Boyer (Medina / Brunswick), Matt Harris (Akron / Revere), and Dominic Polifrone (Hudson). Boyer, who is an Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar Athlete, won a career-high 11 singles matches and posted a 14-7 doubles record. Harris returns after earning a second team All-OAC award in 2017-18, and holding a 14-9 singles record and a 19-6 doubles mark in that season. Reigning OAC Player of The Year Polifrone, who is also an Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar Athlete, has received the BW Academic Excellence Award for the team's highest GPA the past two seasons and earned an All-OAC second-team selection in his sophomore campaign, returns after achieving a 21-5 singles record, 20-6 doubles record and an ALL-OAC first team selection. Rounding out the seniors is Ben Binion (Shelby) who posted a 3-3 record in singles play and a perfect 3-0 in doubles.
Junior Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar Athlete, and honorable mention Jake Elbin (Findlay), will aim for new heights after winning a career high 18 single matches, marking a 18-4 singles record and an even keel 11-11 doubles mark. Sophomore Michael Benotti (Pittsford, N.Y./ Pittsford Mendon) reached a 19-4 singles record and a 13-7 mark in doubles. The squad will also feature first year player, junior Jonathan Brunnet (Berea/ Berea Midpark).
Four fresh faces of Miles Collins (Aliquippa, Pa. / Hopewell), Edwin Schartman (Westlake), Coleten Shafer (Newark), and Logan Snow (Creston / Norwayne) will continue their collegiate careers here at BW and look to compete for playing time on the court.
The collegiate tennis season is split into a fall and spring schedule with a majority of match play happening in the spring. The Yellow Jackets will open the season with a double-header this weekend against Grove City (Pa.) and Penn St.-Behrend on Saturday. The following weekend will be the Oberlin Invitational on Don Hunsinger Tennis Courts, and the month of September will be closed out with the ITA Central Region Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. The 2019 OAC Championships will be contested in early May at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason.
