Heinrich Named All-American With NCAA First-Round Win
Danny Vohden
ITA RELEASE
CLAREMONT, Calif. (May 22, 2014) – Stevens Institute of Technology men's tennis sophomore
Matthew Heinrich beat junior Ross Putterman of Washington University in the first round of the NCAA Individual Championships Thursday, but fell in the round of 16 to junior Nikolas Marino of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges.
With the win, Heinrich is automatically granted All-American status, becoming the first Stevens men's tennis player to achieve the honor.
Heinrich took an early lead in the opening match with a 6-3 first-set win in which the sophomore held the lead throughout. Putterman rebounded with a 6-4 win in the second set before Heinrich took the match with a 6-3 win in the third. Putterman rallied after being down 5-1 to bring the deficit to 5-3, but Heinrich regained control to take the point and the match 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
In the second match of the day, Marino took early leads in both sets to take the match 6-2, 6-2 over Heinrich.
Putterman came into the match ranked No. 7 in the Central while Marino was ranked No. 3 in the West.
In addition to the All-American nod, Heinirch picked-up another accolade during the championships when the International Tennis Association named him the Player to Watch in Division III tennis. The ITA honor is the second in-a-row for Heinrich as the sophomore was named Rookie of the Year last spring.
Heinrich (STE) def. Putterman (WASH) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Marino (CMS) def. Heinrich (STE) 6-2, 6-2