Men's Tennis | 4/25/2023 7:53:25 PM
Top-seed Houghton College will host the 2023 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Championship, which will takes place with semifinal action Friday, April 28 and the championship on Saturday, April 29. Houghton is looking for its second league title in the last three seasons, while No. 2 seed Nazareth College is the defending Empire 8 Champion.
The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2023 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championship, which begins May 4-7, with first, second and third round action.
Final 2023 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Championship Seeds
No. 1 – Houghton (8-0 E8, 13-6 Overall)
No. 2 – Nazareth (6-2 E8, 10-4 Overall)
No. 3 – St. John Fisher (4-4 E8, 5-8 Overall)
No. 4 – Utica (1-7 E8, 2-9 Overall)
The 2023 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).
2023 Empire 8 Men's Tennis Championship Schedule
Friday, April 28 – Semifinals (at Houghton University – Indoor or Outdoor)
No. 1 Houghton University vs. No. 4 Utica University – 1 p.m.
No. 2 Nazareth College vs. No. 3 St. John Fisher University – 4 p.m.
Saturday, April 29 – Championship (at Houghton University – Indoor or Outdoor)
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – 1 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 third straight Empire 8 regular season title and are attempting to win its second postseason title in the last three seasons after finishing 8-0 in Empire 8 play during the regular season. Jaimie Staerkle went 5-0 at first singles in league play, while Micah Schilke was 6-1 at second singles. Levi Webb is 5-1 at third singles in E8 play, while Matt Cicero is 7-0 in league play at various spots in the lineup. Graham Cook, Adam Brown, Samuel Bonisteel and Nolan Zach are also strong singles performers. Webb and Staerkle are 7-0 at first doubles in Empire 8 play, while Schilke and Marcelo Garcia are 8-0 at second doubles. Cicero and Zach are 6-1 at third doubles.
The Golden Flyers of Nazareth are the No. 2 seed in the Empire 8 Tournament for the third straight year after finishing 6-2 in league play and 10-4 overall during the regular season. Nathan Allen, the 2022 E8 Tournament Most Valuable Player, is 11-2 for the Golden Flyers at first singles, while Dominic Vito has six wins playing primarily at second singles. Pierre Ntonga, Isiah McMurray, Noah Britton and Max Funicello are all mainstays in the singles lineup as well. Allen and Chris Benedict are 8-2 at first doubles to lead Nazareth. The Golden Flyers are looking for their second straight E8 title.
St. John Fisher is in the Empire 8 tournament for the 11th 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 2023, having won six singles matches. Anthony Mosolag, Kyle Gorman, Jake Anthony, Will Chubb, Nick Licciarddello and Ryan Wilson are key contributors as well. Anthony is 6-3 at second singles this season as well.
Utica is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the third straight season and eighth time in program history. Damian Bruce has played all season at first singles for the Pioneers, while Richard Nguyen has played the majority of the season at second singles and is 8-3. Hunter Sanford, Gaynay Doo, Jake Paute, Bradley Litz and Logan Kraft will also compete for the Pioneers.
Houghton swept semifinal opponent Utica earlier in the season by identical scores of 9-0. Nazareth defeated semifinal opponent St. John Fisher twice in a 10 day span in April as well by scores of 5-4 and 9-0.
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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