Men's Tennis | 4/29/2025 9:59:56 AM
West Division Top-seed Nazareth University will host the 2025 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Championship, which will take place with semifinal action Friday, May 2 and the championship on Saturday, May 3. Houghton, the two-time defending E8 Champion heads to West No. 2 SUNY Oswego in opening round action on April 29, while East Division No. 2 seed Norwich University, earned a berth in the semifinals by defeating East No. 3 seed Delhi on April 26.
Nazareth will take on Norwich in one semifinal on May 2, while East Division top-seed Thomas College earned a bye into the semifinals and will take on the winner of Oswego/Houghton on May 2. The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2025 Empire 8 Championship on Saturday, May 3. The Empire 8 Champion will receive an automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship, which begins on Friday, May 9.
Final 2025 Empire 8 Men's Tennis Championship Seeds
East No. 1 – Thomas College (5-0 E8)
East No. 2 – Norwich University (4-1 E8)
East No. 3 – SUNY Delhi (3-2 E8)
West No. 1 – Nazareth University (7-1 E8)
West No. 2 – SUNY Oswego (7-1 E8)
West No. 3 – Houghton University (4-4 E8)
The 2025 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).
2025 Empire 8 Men's Tennis Championship Schedule
Saturday, April 26 - First Round (East Division)
East No. 2 Norwich defeated East No. 3 SUNY Delhi, 8-1
Tuesday, April 29 - First Round (West Division)
West No. 3 Houghton at West No. 2 SUNY Oswego – 1 p.m.
Friday, May 2 - Semifinals (at Nazareth - Indoor or Outdoor)
No. 2 East Norwich at No. 1 West Nazareth – 1 p.m.
Winner of West No. 2 SUNY Oswego/No. 3 Houghton vs. East No. 1 Thomas – 5 p.m.
Saturday, May 3 - Championship at Nazareth - 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.
EAST
Thomas College, the reigning North Atlantic Conference Champions, enter the 2025 E8 Tournament with an 11-3 mark, having finished 5-0 in the East Division to earn the top seed. The Bulldogs enter the tournament having won 11 matches in a row. Gabriel McPhail has played the season at No. 1 singles, while Seb Soto has appeared at No. 2 singles. The duo also competes at No. 1 doubles. Camden Herrick, Dominic Clifford, Calvin Cutler, and Casey Duncan have also excelled at singles this season. Herrick and Clifford have excelled at the No. 2 doubles position, while Nick Magiera and Harrison Withee have teamed up at third doubles.
Norwich enters the tournament with a 10-3 overall record and finished 4-1 mark in E8 East Division play. The Cadets earned a berth in the E8 Tournament by defeating SUNY Delhi, 8-1 on April 26. Terrance Bayly-Henshaw is 11-0 on the season at second singles and has teamed with Jaxson Redmond to record an 9-1 mark at first doubles. Redmond is also 11-1 in singles, playing the majority of the season at the third position, while Keegan Bakke is 10-1 at first singles. Both Bakke and Bayly-Henshaw were 5-0 at singles in E8 play during the regular season. It is Norwich’s first season as an Empire 8 member for men’s tennis.
WEST
The Golden Flyers earned the top seed in the Western Division and right to host after finishing 7-1 in league play, while entering with an 11-7 overall mark. Griffin Bond has played all season at first singles, while Max Funiciello has played primarily at second singles. Max Funiciello leads the team with 10 singles wins, while Pierre Ntonga, Noah Britton, Enoch Li, and Chris Benedict have also been mainstays in the singles lineup. Bond and Funiciello have played most of the season at first doubles, recording aa 10-6 mark. The Golden Flyers are looking for their second E8 title in the last four years.
SUNY Oswego also finished 7-1 in the West Division to earn the No. 2 seed and enter the tourney with a 9-3 overall mark. Oswego has won six straight matches. Matthew Mannara, Anthony Marcano, Austin Davis, Zachary Demott, Colin Byer, and Jose Miguel Garcia Moreta have all excelled in singles play for the Lakers. Garcia Moreta is 8-1 in singles play. Marcano and Mannara are 7-1 at first doubles, while Byer and Tyler Yhun have combined to go 9-1 playing both second and third doubles.
Houghton, the No. 3 seed in the West, is attempting to win its third postseason title in the last four seasons after finishing 4-4 in Empire 8 play during the regular season. Nolan Zach has competed all season at first singles, while Preston Tobolski has seven wins playing both second and third singles. Samuel Garay is 8-2 at fourth singles, while Jason Murphy and Issac Anderson have also contributed in singles play. Graham Cook and Zach have partnered at first doubles, while Tobolski and Garay lead the team in doubles wins from the second position.
SUNY Oswego swept first round opponent Houghton earlier in the season by scores of 7-2 on April 11 and 6-3 on April 26.
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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