Top-seeded Binghamton University defeated second-seeded Stony Brook University, 4-3, at the Connecticut Tennis Center in New Haven to win its first America East Men's Tennis Championship. The Bearcats receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tennis Championship, May 10-11.
Full Results
Day 1 Men's Recap
Day 2 Men's Recap
Binghamton won four of the six singles matches to earn the championship. Most Outstanding Performer Akshay Rao, Edwin Gerard, Brian O'Connor and Steve Spencer posted singles wins. Rao defeated Gareth Williams, 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 singles; Gerard downed Egil Anonsen at No. 3 singles, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; O'Connor was a 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 winner over Phillippe Amireault at No. 5 singles; and Spencer beat James Carpenter, 7-5, 6-0 at No. 6 singles.
The Seawolves received singles wins from Michael Crooks (6-2, 6-2 over Brad Davidoff) at No. 2 and Jean Francois Robitaille (6-1, 6-3 over Brad Sherwood) at No. 4. Stony Brook also received the doubles point by virtue of two wins. Robitaille and David Hewitt defeated Davidoff and Spencer, 8-6, at No. 2; and Crooks and Carpenter downed Gerard and Krishna Vallabhaneni, 8-2 at No. 3. The first doubles match between Rao and Sherwood and Williams and Anonsen was tied 7-7 when it was suspended when the doubles point had been decided.
Rao was joined on the all-conference team by teammates Davidoff, O'Connor and Spencer; Crooks, Robitaille and Amireault of Stony Brook; J.P. Debbink of Boston University; Kevin O'Keefe of University of New Hampshire; Jonathan Cooper of University of Vermont; and Pedja Zdravkovic, Patrick Flint and Jeff Hurlbert of University of Hartford. Michael Starke of Binghamton was named Coach of the Year.
The America East Tennis Championship utilizes a format of three doubles matches and six singles matches. Doubles matches are played first using eight-game pro sets with a 12-point tie-break at eight games all. The team winning two or more of the doubles matches receives one point in the team scoring. The doubles matches are followed by the singles matches using a best two-of-three sets format. Each singles match is worth one point. A minimum of four points is required to win the team match.
Full Results
Day 1 Men's Recap
Day 2 Men's Recap