Men's Tennis | 4/30/2024 9:55:00 AM
Top-seed Houghton College will host the 2024 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Championship, which will take place with semifinal action Friday, May 3 and the championship on Saturday, May 4. Houghton, the defending E8 Champion, is looking for its third league title in the last three seasons, while No. 2 seed Nazareth University will attempt to win its second title in three years.
The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2024 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championship, which begins May 10-13, with first, second and third round action.
Final 2024 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Championship Seeds
#1 – Houghton (6-0 E8, 13-6 Overall)
#2 – Nazareth (4-2 E8, 4-11 Overall)
#3 – St. John Fisher (2-4 E8, 5-8 Overall)
#4 – Alfred (0-6 E8, 2-9 Overall)
The 2024 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 X (@Empire8).
2024 Empire 8 Men's Tennis Championship Schedule
Friday, May 3 – Semifinals (at Houghton University – Indoor or Outdoor)
#1 Houghton University vs. #4 Alfred University – 1 p.m.
#2 Nazareth University vs. #3 St. John Fisher University – 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 4 – 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 fifth straight Empire 8 regular season title and is attempting to win its third postseason title in the last four seasons after finishing 6-0 in Empire 8 play during the regular season. Micah Schilke is 6-3 on the season at first singles, while Levi Webb is 7-1 at second singles, while Nolan Zach has competed all season at third singles. Graham Cook, Jonas Likens and Preston Tobolski are also strong singles performers. Houghton’s three doubles teams have excelled in league play, combining to win all 18 doubles matches. Zach and Levi Webb are the first doubles team, while Schilke and Cook have competed at second doubles, along with Jason Murphy and Tobias Webb at third doubles.
The Golden Flyers are the No. 2 seed in the Empire 8 Tournament for the fourth straight year after finishing 4-2 in league play. Griffin Bond has played all season at first singles, while Dominic Vito has played primarily at second singles. Noah Britton and Max Funicello are tied for the team lead with nine singles wins, while James Hawkins and Pierre Ntonga Allen have also been mainstays in the singles lineup. Chris Benedict and James Hawkins have played most of the season at first doubles, while Vito and Funicello have six wins at second doubles. The Golden Flyers are looking for their second E8 title in the last three years.
St. John Fisher is in the Empire 8 tournament for the 12th straight season and is looking for its first league championship. The Cardinals went 2-4 in league play. First-year Tyler Hernandez has been a mainstay at first singles for the Cardinals in 2024, having won six singles matches. He has also partnered with Will Chubb to win five first doubles contests. Chubb, Anthony Mosolag, Ryan Wilson, Zach DeCaro, Mika’il Iqbal, and Anthony Mendoza are key contributors as well.
Alfred is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the first time since 2021 and sixth time in program history. Mike Roberts and Breece Erickson have split time at first and second singles, while Nick Flemmer has competed at third singles. Matthew Bittel, Walker Weldon, Bill Tran, and Rodrigo Perez will also compete for the Saxons.
Houghton swept semifinal opponent Alfred earlier in the season by identical scores of 9-0. Nazareth defeated semifinal opponent St. John Fisher twice by scores of 5-4 and 8-1 on April 25.
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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