Men's Tennis
2007 Preview/Recap

The loss of six players from a team might make some tennis coaches depressed.

But we are talking about the Trinity University Tigers, whose men’s and women’s teams won the NCAA Division III Team Championships in 2000.

Trinity Coach Butch Newman, who is in the midst of his 21^st year at the Tiger men’s helm, has reason to be optimistic in spite of the losses.

“We have a good returning nucleus,” said Coach Newman, who has coached the Tiger men and women for 16 years. “They are a cohesive, spirited group of guys. Anything can happen, because they are working so hard.”

The Tigers, ranked No. 12 nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) NCAA Division III poll, lost two All-Americans to graduation, John Matthews and Stefan Parker. Matthews advanced to the 2006 NCAA singles and doubles quarterfinals in May.

His doubles partner was a returning All-American, senior D.J. Petros of Corpus Christi, Texas (King). In the fall of 2006, Petros captured the ITA regional singles title – in an all Trinity final - and advanced to the National Small College Championships. Petros and junior James Furr of Tulsa, Okla. (Bishop Kelley), reached the ITA regional doubles championship match.

Prior to the NCAA individual tournament, the Tigers also had success as a team.

Trinity won its 13^th consecutive Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship, and 14^th overall, with a 4-1 victory over DePauw. Coach Newman was elected SCAC Men’s Coach of the Year for the ninth time. The Tigers hosted Pacific Lutheran in an NCAA regional match and beat the Lutes 4-0. It marked Trinity’s 14^th straight appearance in the NCAA postseason event. The Tigers went on to Fredericksburg, Va., and the NCAA quarterfinals (for the 11^th time) where they lost 4-0 to eventual finalist Middlebury. Trinity completed its season with a 16-8-0 record and a No. 8 national ranking.

A returning senior is Patrick Disney of Fort Worth, Texas (Nolan Catholic).

The four juniors will provide a strong level of leadership, including Oliver Gaines of Austin, Texas (Bethesda, Md., Walter Johnson High School). Gaines advanced to the ITA regional singles final in the match with Petros. Also returning are Ryan DeSantis of Kilgore, Texas (Longview, Texas - Trinity School of Texas), and David Tran of Houston (Cypress Falls).

Three returning sophomores have gained valuable playing time in the NCAA battles: Jose Borges of Caracas, Venezuela; Jeremy Gold of College Station, Texas (A&M Consolidated); and Eric Trakhtenbroit of San Antonio (St. Mary’s Hall).

One sophomore, Crisanto Ramirez of McAllen, Texas (Austin – St. Stephen’s), transferred from the University of Mary Washington (Va.). Ramirez played in the top-six lineup last year for Mary Washington, which advanced to the NCAA regional final.

The first-year class, consisting of five players, will definitely pump fresh energy into the life of the Tiger team.

Providing punch in the lineup will be Varun Munjal of Lake Jackson, Texas (Brazoswood). Munjal held a top-30 ranking in the Texas Super Championship 18s competition.

Also joining the Tiger squad are Michael Breitweiser of Houston (Mayde Creek); David Lesko of St. Louis (St. Louis University High); Jeff Stine of Katy, Texas (Katy High School); and Clayton Turcotte of Corpus Christi (Flour Bluff).

A valuable part of the Trinity tennis program is former men’s standout Russell McMindes, in his fourth year as assistant coach.

The Tigers open their 2007 campaign Feb. 9 with St. Edward’s University in Austin. Trinity begins its nine-match home schedule Feb. 10 with Texas Lutheran University at Delavan Tennis Stadium. Kenyon College, ranked No. 24 in Division III, comes to town March 7.

Trinity will take on three nationally ranked teams in California March 23-25: No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, ninth-ranked Redlands and Pacific Lutheran, which is 19^th in the poll.

The SCAC Championships are slated from April 27-29 at Waco, Texas. A strong competitor will be DePauw, ranked sixth nationally.

The conference champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA postseason event, which begins May 4-5 with the regional tournament. The NCAA Championships are scheduled for May 15-20 at Washington University in St. Louis.