Season Outlook

Brad Seymour

The Tiger men's tennis team faces a wave of changes for the 2009 spring campaign as Wittenberg looks to regain their form from the early part of the decade when the Tigers were consistently near the top of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC).

Change in 2008-09 starts at the top as new head coach Justin Stuckey, Wittenberg's first-ever full-time tennis coach, took over the programs in August 2008. A Cincinnati native, Stuckey brings coaching experience from Wright State University after spending his playing career at Johnson C. Smith University (N.C.).

A quartet of upperclassmen look to build off a seventh-place finish in the NCAC Tournament last spring. Leading the way at No. 1 singles is senior Brad Seymour (Chillicothe, Ohio/Chillicothe), who returns after playing in the top flight in every match for the Tigers the last two seasons. Seymour also paired with sophomore Bobby Fisher (Gahanna, Ohio/Lincoln) for the No. 1 doubles pair. As a freshman, Fisher split time between the Nos. 2 and 3 singles positions.

A pair of juniors, Craig Lods (Chillicothe, Ohio/Chillicothe) and Rob Lehner (Gahanna, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales), join Seymour and Fisher as team captains. Lods finished with six singles victories in 2007-08, a mark that tied with Seymour for the team lead. Lehner served on the third and fourth singles flights last season. The junior duo posted an impressive mark last spring in the No. 2 doubles flight, finishing 6-6 against strong competition.

Senior Andrew Young (Mansfield, Ohio/Senior) provide leadership after a 2007-08 season in which he played part of the season at the second flight. SophomoreAndy Lamb (Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton) rounds out the list of returnees, a year after stabilizing the Tiger sixth flight with a 5-2 record.

In the incoming class, Stuckey has brought in a quintet of talented first-year students, led by Stephane Antwi (Rosedale, NY/Monsignor McClancy Memorial)and Jordan Hildenbrandt (Kenosha, Wisc./Tremper), who both made an immediate impact during the fall season. Antwi has already stood out, compiling a 3-0 singles record in his first collegiate experience in September 2008. Fellow freshmen Shaun Byrnes (Westlake, Ohio/St. Edward), Nat Bennink (Wellesley, Mass./Wellesley) and Derek de Rie (Breukeler, The Netherlands/RSG Broklede)have enjoyed strong starts as well.

A strong fall slate included a perfect start to Stuckey's coaching career and winning records for all the singles competitors. The spring season includes tough non-conference matches, including a trip to Hilton Head, S.C., before beginning NCAC play on Tuesday, March 31, against Denison.