ROCHESTER, NY – The Empire 8 announced its Men’s Tennis All-Conference Team with junior Josh Rifkin of Ithaca College being named the 2010 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Player of the Year. Chris Rosensteel of Stevens University of Technology was selected as Rookie of the Year. Steve Gachko was named Coach of the Year for leading Stevens to the conference title and a single-season school record for victories.
Rifkin posted a 16-1 dual match record and 8-0 in conference play to earn first-team all-conference honors for the second year, this time at first singles. He also teamed with two-time Empire 8 Player of the Year Taylor Borda to earned first-team honors at first doubles. The duo finished 8-0 in regular season conference play, won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Northeast Doubles title, finished third at the Small College Nationals, and earned a bid to the NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championship.
Borda earned first-team all-conference honors in singles for the fourth time after posting an
8-0 mark in second singles in Empire 8 regular season play and a 16-1 record in dual matches. The Bombers’ second doubles tandem of sophomore Jimmy Newton and senior Danny Wolk were named to the first team squad with an 8-0 conference regular season record and 16-0 mark in dual matches.
Three players from conference champion Stevens were named to the all-conference first team, including repeat selection Arik Zeevy, the Most Valuable Player of the Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Championship. He finished the regular season 7-1 in the conference and 20-5 overall playing second and third singles. Zeevy and freshman Shota Tasaki were named to the all-conference first team at first doubles after posting a 5-1 mark during the season and edging Rifkin and Borda in the Empire 8 title match.
Tasaki and Rosensteel were named to the first team in singles. Tasaki finished 12-6 in dual matches at first singles, while Rosensteel recorded an 8-0 mark in conference regular season play and 19-0 record in dual matches at second and third singles.
Freshman Ryan McCormick of Nazareth College was named to the all-conference first team at first singles, where he posted a 6-2 Empire 8 record during the regular season.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2010 Men’s Tennis Sportsman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
2010 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Awards
Player of the Year: Josh Rifkin, Ithaca College
Rookie of the Year: Chris Rosensteel, Stevens Institute of Technology
Coach of the Year: Steve Gachko, Stevens Institute of Technology
2010 Empire 8 Men's Tennis All-Conference Release