The Mountain Hawks’ men’s tennis team is vying for another successful year as it prepares to begin its fall season.
The team will start off by competing in the Penn Fall Invitational at the Hamlin Tennis Courts in Philadelphia. It is one of four events on the schedule for September and October.
Last year, the Mountain Hawks finished their season at 12-8, with a 3-2 record in the Patriot League. With two new additions to the team, first-years Jack Petersen and Dylan Karchere-Sun, and only two seniors, Timur Chernykh and Mark Goldberg, lost, the Mountain Hawks will have a lot of experience out on the courts for their opening match this year.
“I am really looking forward to the invitational because the guys look good and have been playing well,” said coach Wouter Hendrix. “I am especially excited to watch Jack Petersen play for Lehigh. He will start close to the top of the ladder and has been playing really well so far.”
While many teams playing in the Penn Invitational are solely concentrating on the outcome of the matches, the men’s tennis team has a few other ideas about what is important. “Every match we play this fall is an exhibition,” said junior Jeremy Kochman. “We are going to be more focused on improving our level of play with every match instead of the results. With that being said, the fall season as a whole sets the tone for the entire year, so we are hoping to get some good results against some very formidable opponents.”
Last season, senior Ben Gilman led the team with 12 singles and 13 doubles wins and was also a First-Team All-Patriot League performer. He will undoubtedly be a player to depend upon in the upcoming season. Fellow senior Mitchell Petersen, who won 10 singles matches at the number two and three spots and nine doubles matches playing the number one spot alongside the graduated Goldberg last year, is also expected to play a major role.
Many schools from around the region come to play at the Penn Invitational, including Columbia University, Princeton University, Georgetown University, St. Joseph’s University and Cornell University. “Princeton is our first match on Friday, and the Ivy League is getting really strong at tennis,” Hendrix said. “It will be a tough match, but it will be a great learning experience. I think it’ll be a good weekend for us.”
Following the invitational this weekend, the men’s tennis team will host the Lehigh Fall Invitational starting Oct. 4 at the Lewis Tennis Center before participating in two other events.
“We have been beating up on each other for the past couple of weeks, and it will feel great to finally play against other schools,” junior Ricardo Prince said. “A lot of tough teams play in this tournament, so it will be a good indication of where the team is right now.”
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