Men's Tennis | 5/4/2022 10:20:47 AM
Top-seed Houghton College will look to repeat as league champions, as the 2022 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Championship, will takes place with semifinal action Friday, May 6 and the championship on Saturday, May 7, with all matches played outdoors at Nazareth College or indoors at Mendon Racquet Club.
The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2022 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championship, which begins May 13-15, with first, second and third round action.
Final 2022 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Championship Seeds
#1 – Houghton (8-0 E8, 11-10 Overall)
#2 – Nazareth (6-2 E8, 10-4 Overall)
#3 – St. John Fisher (4-4 E8, 6-9 Overall)
#4 – Utica (1-7 E8, 5-7 Overall)
The 2022 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on Twitter (@Empire8).
2022 Empire 8 Men's Tennis Championship Schedule
Friday, May 6 – Semifinals (Outdoor at Nazareth College; Indoors (if necessary, at Mendon Racquet Club)
#1 Houghton College vs. #4 Utica College – 4 p.m.
#2 Nazareth College vs. #3 St. John Fisher College – 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 8 – Championship (Outdoor at Nazareth College; Indoors (if necessary, at Mendon Racquet Club)
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – 12 p.m.
Format: Dual match is played until decision (5 points) Three doubles matches are followed by six singles matches. No-ad scoring for both singles and doubles matches. Singles matches will play two out of three sets. Doubles play eight pro set with a twelve-point tiebreaker at 7-all.
Houghton earned its second straight Empire 8 regular season title and are attempting to win its second consecutive postseason title after finishing 8-0 in Empire 8 play during the regular season. Micah Schilke went 6-1 at first singles in league play, while Levi Webb was 5-2 at second singles. Jaimie Staerkle is 7-0 at third singles in E8 play, while Matt Cicero is 4-0 at fourth singles. Adam Brown and Isaac Little are also strong singles performers. Little and Staerkle are 5-2 at first doubles in Empire 8 play, while Webb and Zach Nolan are 6-1 at second doubles. Cicero and Schilke are 4-0 at third doubles.
The Golden Flyers are the No. 2 seed in the Empire 8 Tournament after finishing 6-2 in league play and 10-4 overall during the regular season. Nathan Allen is 9-2 for the Golden Flyers at first singles, while Dominic Vito has earned a 10-4 mark playing primarily at second singles. Ryan Lalik, Will Britton, Isiah McMurray and Tyler Luong are all mainstays in the singles lineup as well. Allen and Ryan Britton are 9-2 at first doubles to lead Nazareth. The Golden Flyers are looking for their first Empire 8 title and are making their second straight E8 Tourney appearance.
St. John Fisher is in the Empire 8 tournament for the tenth straight season and is looking for its first league championship. The Cardinals went 4-4 in league play. Sean Danahy has been a mainstay at first singles for the Cardinals in 2021. Anthony Mosolag, Kyle Gorman, Jake Anthony, Zach Decaro, Jordan O’Connell, and Cameron Campbell are key contributors as well. Anthony is undefeated in both singles and doubles play in 2022, with 12 singles victories and 11 doubles wins.
Alfred is making its second straight appearance in the Empire 8 Tournament. The fourth-seeded Saxons ended the regular season with a win over Utica on May 1. Wes Dennison leads the Saxons with a 7-3 record, including a 5-2 mark in league play. Dennison and Sam Cohen have combined to go 5-4 in doubles play. Issac Little, Ryan Brown, Logan Cross and Adam Shearer will look to compete for the Saxons.
Utica is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the second straight season and seventh time in program history. The Pioneers have five wins this season. Damian Bruce has an impressive 7-3 record at first singles for the Pioneers, while LJ Nuzzo has the majority of the season at second singles and is 8-3. Austin McGrain, Bradley Litz, Gaynay Doo, Bradley Litz and Ethan Tremblay will also compete for the Pioneers.
Houghton swept semifinal opponent Utica earlier in the season by identical scores of 8-1. Nazareth defeated semifinal opponent St. John Fisher twice in April as well by scores of 7-2 and 5-4.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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