2000-01 Men's Tennis Outlook

With the loss of four starters to graduation, the Trinity College men's tennis team is looking to rebuild under Head Coach Paul Assaiante, who is entering his seventh season. During the past two seasons, the Bantams posted a 27-7 record and earned consecutive bids to the NCAA Division III Championship tourney.

Although the Bantams will feel the loss of captains Matt Sharnoff, Jared Sheik, Alex Valente, and Steve Wohlford, senior Rostyslav Orach will return after finishing with a 15-2 dual match record and a third straight All-American campaign last season. Orach also qualified for the NCAA Division III Singles Championships. He is 39-7 in his career at Trinity and won the No. 1 singles flight at the NESCAC Championships in 1999.

Joining Orach is seasoned sophomore Muammar Khan, who posted a 12-5 mark as a freshman. Khan and Orach should give Trinity a solid duo at the top two singles spots. Talented juniors Peter Green and David Bovino should step up and perform well after waiting patiently for the members of the Class of 2000 to finish their stellar careers. Green is 12-0 in singles matches over the last two seasons and is also an established doubles player, while Bovino went 4-l in 2000.

Orach and fellow senior George Kaneb will be the co-captains for Assaiante this season, and classmate Bennett Stewart returns from a year’s hiatus to round out the top returnees. A promising recruiting class joins the seven returning veterans.

The Bantams will no longer be able to surprise their competitors after totaling double-digit wins in each of the past three years. Coach Assaiante welcomes the task of developing young players and instilling in them the work ethic and commitment that characterized the Class of 2000. "After graduating four of six starters, 2000-01 has to be characterized as a rebuilding year," notes Assaiante. "I look forward to accelerating the learning curve of the freshman class."