St. Scholastica predicted to win UMAC men's tennis title
2012 UMAC Men’s Tennis Coaches’ Poll
1. 24 Points - College of St. Scholastica (4 First Place Votes)
2. 22 Points - Northwestern College (2)
3. 17 Points - Martin Luther College
4. 11 Points - University of Minnesota Morris
T-5. 8 Points - Bethany Lutheran College
T-5. 8 Points - North Central University
ST. PAUL -- Winner of 15 consecutive Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) men’s tennis regular season championships, the College of St. Scholastica was once again predicted to win the league title again in 2012.
1. College of St. Scholastica Saints
2011 Overall Record: 13-10
2011 UMAC Record: 10-0
2011 UMAC Finish: 1st
Starters Returning: 9
Starters Lost: 2
After winning their 15th conference trophy in 2011, the Saints return senior Jacob Engelstad to the top of the lineup. Engelstad owns the second most singles wins in program history and is the reigning No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles UMAC champion. Another senior back is Kevin Hilpert. Last season, Hilpert led the team with 14 singles wins and won a single-season program record 20 doubles matches before winning the UMAC’s No. 3 doubles title. Senior Brian Lindberg will also see considerable action in the lineup.
Other returnees that will see more court time this season include Nick Lambrecht, Kolin Dean, Dylan Kelly and Cullen Combs. Freshman James Mack will make an instant impact for the Saints. Fans can expect to see freshman Tyler Bates see some action in doubles.
2. Northwestern College Eagles
2011 Overall Record: 8-12
2011 UMAC Record: 8-2
2011 UMAC Finish: 2nd
Starters Returning: 4
Starters Lost: 5
Northwestern won its first UMAC Tournament last year, edging St. Scholastica by a point. The Eagles look to build off of that momentum in the 2012 conference season with their top three singles players returning to the court. No. 1 David Knight gained valuable experience in the college game as a freshman in 2011 while earning UMAC Player of the Year honors. Knight’s doubles partner, Caleb Kauss, the 2010 player of the year, resumes his position at No. 2 doubles. Knight and Kauss combined to go 18-2 in singles action last season.
Keagan Blancke, who wrapped up last year’s tournament championship, is back at No. 3 singles after going 9-1 in UMAC action last year. Jimmy Ekman, last year’s No. 6 singles player, has moved up to consistently play at No. 4 for Northwestern in 2012, where he has found success early in the nonconference schedule.
3. Martin Luther College Knights
2011 Overall Record: 5-7
2011 UMAC Record: 5-5
2011 UMAC Finish: T-3rd
Starters Returning: 4
Starters Lost: 2
Martin Luther returns four key contributors from last season’s team that tied for third place in the conference standings. The Knights’ top two singles players return for their third seasons, with 2011 All-UMAC performer Scott Henrich at the top of the line-up and Paul Koester in the number two spot. Henrich finished last season 7-5 in singles, while Koester finished 6-8. The two also combined to go 7-5 in doubles play.
The rest of the Martin Luther lineup will be led by returners David Marquardt and Thomas Gorzalski, who gained experience in both singles and doubles last season. First-year player Ben Nommensen was slotted into the third singles spot in early non-conference matches, and should lead a group of four newcomers.
4. University of Minnesota Morris Cougars
2011 Overall Record: 0-11
2011 UMAC Record: 0-10
2011 UMAC Finish: 6th
Starters Returning: 2
Starters Lost: 4
Coming off a rough 2011 season, the Minnesota Morris men will look to rebuild in 2012. The Cougars had flashes of success last season, and being led by Caleb Power in 2012 will search for consistency. Power saw time at both No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions last season, providing experience for the Cougars at the top of the line-up. Power is one of just two returning starters for Minnesota Morris this season, as a new-look line-up will grace the court.
Head coach Eli Starzl enters his fourth season at the helm and has had the Cougars in the mix in the past. With a young squad led by a few key returnees, the Cougars could sneak up on teams in 2012.
T-5. Bethany Lutheran College Vikings
2011 Overall Record: 2-9
2011 UMAC Record: 2-8
2011 UMAC Finish: 5th
Starters Returning: 3
Starters Lost: 3
The Bethany Lutheran men’s tennis team went 2-8 in the UMAC last season and hopes to build the team with many faces returning to the roster. David Blumer, the Vikings’ consistent No. 1 player from the 2010 season, is returning after taking last spring off to study abroad. He will be looked upon to lead along with junior Nickolas Croy who won two of his matches last year. Eric DeBruzzi and Aaron Wiechmann are returning for their sophomore season. Along with these veterans the Vikings are looking to five freshmen to compete.
T-5. North Central University Rams
2011 Overall Record: 5-6
2011 UMAC Record: 5-5
2011 UMAC Finish: T-3rd
Starters Returning: 1
Starters Lost: 5
North Central is dealing with turnover this season, only returning two players from last season’s third place team. Sophomore Alex Sanjari and senior Zach Claussen look to continue their very good season as doubles partners in the new campaign. Claussen brings plenty of experience at the college level while Sanjari is a very talented young player who we are excited to have back. Freshman Sutton Rehwaldt is a player the Rams are excited about as well as he shows plenty of raw skill that he is working hard to develop into a polished game.
UMAC matches will start this weekend with each team slated to play 10 conference contests. Following the conclusion of the regular season, four of the six teams will gather at the Baseline Tennis Center on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis on May 4-5 for the UMAC Tournament, which will have a new look in 2012. Instead of the previous individually flighted format, the UMAC finale will take on a team format, featuring team semifinal matches on Friday, May 4, with the winners facing each other in the tournament championship on Saturday, May 5.