Men's Tennis Team Places Seventh at Nationals
5/04
Joining the women's team on the national stage, the Men's Tennis Team placed seventh out of 13 teams at the NJCAA National Championship in Plano, TX, May 9-13. And they did it with just two players.
With a regular season record of 5-4, the Mercer men finished second after Brookdale CC in the Region 19 Tournament, the region's dominant team this year. Stand-outs at the tournament were Gerry Aparicio and Sean Patrick, who won at no. 1 doubles, and Shay Sharaby, who won at no. 6. "Our team really grew and matured as the season progressed," said Head Coach Stan Dlugosz. "They listened and learned."
With their doubles win in the region, Aparicio and Patrick qualified for the trip to Texas. Between them, they compiled six points in national competition. In the first round, they defeated the no. 1 doubles pair from Holyoke CC, 6-1, 6-1. In singles action Aparicio won at no. 1 against Harford CC, 6-4, 6-3, while at no. 2, Patrick defeated Holyoke CC, 6-2, 6-1. They were both eliminated in the quarterfinal round in very close matches.
The team roster included: Gerry Aparicio (no. 1) , Sean Patrick (no. 2), Felipe Faundez (no. 3), Brian Bunn (no. 4), John Gordon (no. 5), Danillo Delibert (no. 6), and Shay Sharaby (no. 7).
In regular season contests, the Vikings dominated Gloucester (8-1,
6-3), Morris (6-1, 5-2) and Bergen (8-1). Dlugosz completes his 30th
year as head coach; he was assisted by Ralph Bencivengo
and Marc Vecchiolla.
