Grove City tabbed PAC men’s tennis preseason favorites

Grove City tabbed PAC men’s tennis preseason favorites

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GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org) – The Grove City College men's tennis program, led by fourth-year head coach Jeff Buxton, was selected as the favorite to claim the 2016 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Men's Tennis Championship, according to the league's preseason coaches' poll, which was released Wednesday along with the league's Players to Watch list. 

The preseason poll collects votes from each of the conference's nine head men’s tennis coaches.

Grove City earned seven first-place votes and finished with 79 total points. Washington & Jefferson College collected the final two first-place votes and 73 points. Saint Vincent College was picked third (54), followed by Waynesburg University in fourth (51), Thomas More College fifth (48), Westminster College sixth (39), Geneva College seventh (26), Bethany College eighth (23) and Thiel College ninth (12).

Grove City won its 25th-straight PAC Men's Tennis Championship team title in 2015, totaling 52 team points during the two-day championship event. Senior Jon Graber (Atglen, Pa./Octorara), a three-time PAC individual champion, headlines the Grove City lineup. He claimed the fourth singles title and played to a runner-up finish at second doubles in 2015. Graber won the sixth singles title in 2013 and the third singles title in 2014. Fellow senior Thane Feldeisen (Ann Arbor, Mich./Greenhills) earned the title at fifth singles at the 2014 Championships. Sophomore Jon Fleet (West Chester, Pa./B. Reed Hendersen) won the 2015 title at sixth singles.

The 2016 PAC Men's Tennis Championships are scheduled for Friday-Saturday, April 29-30 at the Pennbriar Athletic Club in Erie, Pennsylvania. Matches will begin at 8:30 a.m. each day.
 
2016 PAC Men's Tennis Coaches' Preseason Poll
School (first-place votes) Points 2014-15 Record (PAC)
1. Grove City College (7) 79 7-7 (7-0)
2. Washington & Jefferson College (2) 73 9-10 (6-1)
3. Saint Vincent College 54 4-6 (2-5)
4. Waynesburg University 51 6-7 (5-2)
5. Thomas More College 48 7-8 (4-3)
6. Westminster College 39 3-7 (3-4)
7. Geneva College 26 First-year program
8. Bethany College 23 5-11 (1-6)
9. Thiel College 12 0-10 (0-7)

2016 PAC Men's Tennis Players to Watch

Bethany: Kyle Booker, Sr. (Forest Park, Ga./Forest Park); Marcus Hooks, So. (Stamford, Conn./Brien McMahon)

Geneva: Eric Abbott, Fr. (Seven Fields, Pa./Seneca Valley); Jesse Hooke, So. (Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin

Grove City: Thane Feldeisen, Sr. (Ann Arbor, Mich./Greenhills); Jon Graber, Sr., Atglen, Pa./Octoraro); Zack Sprunger, So. (Ashland Ohio/Ashland)

Saint Vincent: Tyler Brinton, Jr. (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Salem); Scott Reichard, Jr. (St. Marys, Pa./Elk County Catholic); Jonathan Prichard, Fr. (Harborcreek, Pa./Cathedral Prep.); Ryan Hartz, Fr. (Perryopolis, Pa./Frazier)

Thiel: Cole Duskey, Fr. (Orrville, Ohio/Orrville); Thad Paunovich, Jr. (Avonmore, Pa./Kiski Area)

Thomas More: Christian Gil, Fr. (Hebron, Ky./Conner); Sergio Pascual, Sr. (Carrollton, Ky./Carroll County)

W&J: Micah Byrum, Jr. (Pittsburgh, Pa./Obama Academy); Sean Carrick, So. (Vero Beach, Fla./Vero Beach); Greg Smith, Jr. (Sykesville, Md./Liberty)

Waynesburg: Jonah Cooper, Fr. (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian); Josh Denham, Fr. (New Kensington, Pa./Valley); Tim Harris, Jr. (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway); Adam McKnight, So. (Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown)

Westminster: Kornel Foremski, So. (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Shaker Heights); A.J. May, So. (Butler, Pa./Butler); Ethan McCarthy, Sr. (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock)

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