Down The line Congratulations Seniors! Summer 2013 2013-14 Tentative Schedule 9/6-8 Bucknell Quad 9/13-15 W @ Mount St. Mary s M @ Princeton 9/20-22 Bucknell Invite (W) M @ USTA (TBD) 10/4-6 W @ St. Bonaventure M @ UVA 1/18 W @ Penn State Undoubtedly one of the most impressionable recruiting classes to pass through the Bison Tennis Team. Evan, Kelly and Josh made an impact on the Bucknell Tennis program that will never be forgotten. As players, teammates, leaders and students, these three men have raised the bar when it comes to defining a Bucknell Student-Athlete. Evan earned his third career nod to the All-Patriot League Second Team. The senior led Bucknell in singles wins this season with a 24-13 record while playing primarily at the No. 3 spot where he posted a 13-6 mark. In Patriot League play, the co-captain was 3-1 in singles and 2-0 in the Patriot League Tournament, defeating both postseason opponents in straight sets. He finished the year with wins in nine of his final 10 matches. Evan was also 24-13 in doubles, finishing the season playing at No. 1 with Aidan Lynch. The duo won eight of its final nine completed matches, a stretch that also included a 3-1 record against conference foes. With his Bucknell career now complete, Evan ranks second all-time in total wins (150-79) and third in singles (70-40) and doubles (80-39) victories. Evan was also one of only two players to be awarded with both an All-League and an Academic All-League citation this spring. An accounting major with a 3.45 cumulative grade-point average, he has been named Academic All-Patriot League for each of the three years of the award s existence. He has also been named to the Bucknell Dean s List four times in his career and the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll three times. This spring, Evan also collected the Ronald J. Pete Pedrick Award, presented "in recognition of demonstrated improvement and special contributions to Bucknell athletics over a four-year period at the 52nd Annual Bucknell Athletics Senior Recognition Dinner. Kelly earned his first All-Patriot League selection as he was also voted to the second team. The senior co-captain became one of Bucknell s top singles players, moving into the No. 2 position this year and finishing with an overall record of 15-20. His 26-11 doubles record led the Bison in his final campaign. He finished the season playing with Octavio Canibe at No. 3 where the duo won seven of its last eight matches with the only loss coming to a tough Binghamton squad. Morque and Canibe went 4-0 together against the Patriot League during the regular season and 2-0 in the postseason. Kelly will graduate ranking among Bucknell s best in wins. He is tied for fourth in doubles (70-51), 11th in singles (51-44) and fifth in combined (121-95) wins. Kelly graduated with a 3.52 gpa in Management and was also a two-year member of the Bucknell Leadership Academy. Josh finishes his career as the all-time leader in combined victories at Bucknell. His singles record of 72-53 and doubles mark of 83-43 both rank second in program history. However, it was not an easy four years for him to get to this place of prominence. Injury and doubt, both from his doctors and himself, made it nearly impossible for the tennis senior to continue to play at the highest level. At the conclusion of his junior year, Josh found out he had been playing with two torn menisci. After surgery, rehab, lots of pain and frustration, Josh received two injections in his knee prior to the spring season to help deal with the pain. The hurt did not go away completely, but it was a hurt that further motivated him to get to the win total he had eyed for a long time. "After being named to the All-Patriot League Second Team my freshman year, and to not receive any recognition for my sophomore and junior seasons in which I played much better, I was frustrated," Katten reveals. "That is why this record means so much to me, because even though one day someone might break it, it was something I accomplished, and is something that can't be taken away from me." 1/24 M @ St. John s 2/1 M/W vs. St. Francis 2/8 M @ Penn State 2/22 M/W vs Duquesne 2/28 M/W @ St. Bonaventure 3/1 M/W @ Niagara 3/8-3/15 Spring Break 3/16 M/W vs. St. Joseph 3/19 M/W @ Mount St. Mary 3/22 M/W vs. Loyola 3/25 M/W @ Villanova 3/28 M/W vs. George Mason 3/29 M vs. Navy 3/30 W vs. Navy 4/2 W @ Towson 4/5 M/W vs. Colgate 4/6 M vs. Boston 4/8 W vs. Lehigh 4/12 W @ Army 4/13 M/W vs. Lafayette 4/16 M @ Lehigh 4/18-21 W @ PL Tourn 4/23 M/W vs. Bloomsburg 4/25-27 W @ PL Tourn
Bucknell Tennis Announces 2013-14 Alumni Weekend Dates During the weekend of April 12-14, Bucknell Tennis hosted an Alumni Weekend. Although rains on Friday put a dampener on our Senior Tribute and forced us to move the men s match vs. Army indoors at West Branch Tennis Club, we managed to have an amazing weekend filled with lots of laughs, great stories and the need for MORE! Nearly 30 alumni returned for some or all of the weekend fun and many haven t stopped talking about the weekend yet. Our current players were so grateful for the enthusiasm and Mike Murphy 87, Kyaw Khin, 62, cheers of support during our home matches. The weekend started with a soggy, but heartfelt tribute to Scott Stieler 87 87 three awesome seniors: Josh Katten, Kelly Morque and Evan Zimmer. Immediately following the presentation, our scheduled match vs. Army was moved indoors and we had a Bucknell caravan on the way to West Branch Tennis Club. Never have we experienced such an energetic, enthusiastic and energizing crowd at a match. Our guys gave Army all they could handle that night as we claimed the doubles point and played every match down to the wire. Unfortunately, it just wasn t our night. The next day started off with a casual brunch gathering. It was great to have so many alumni, current players and parents in one place at the same time. Then, it was the ladies turn to battle a tough Army team. Our Evan Zimmer, Mike Murphy, Aidan Lynch, Nick women played tough, but couldn t quite overcome Bybel, Jon DeFrancesch, Roy Skinner an incredibly deep and talented Army squad. One of the highlights of the weekend was the afternoon spent playing doubles, singles, drilling, and playing out fun team games between the alumni and current players. What started out to be a couple of hours of hitting around turned into an entire afternoon of music, fun, laughter and great stories from the past and present. Saturday evening we enjoyed a small, but amazing gathering at the Town Tavern Shanty. We ended up having such a great time, they couldn t get us out of the building. We all ended up on the dance floor at the Tavern where we continued to build the Bucknell bond. Peter Ochroch 85 and Evan Zimmer 13 Steve Haas 83 Sunday saw both teams take care of Patriot League rival Lafayette in quick fashion, a great way to close down a great weekend. It wasn t 24 hours later that alumni who couldn t make the trip began to hear about the awesome weekend and plans for the next Alumni Weekend sprang into motion. Mark you calendars early and watch for details through the year. We are planning a bigger and better Bucknell Tennis Alumni Event on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 4-6, 2014. Our men and women will be taking on Colgate and our men will be playing Boston as they make their debut into the Patriot League Conference. Thank you to all who helped plan and execute this years event. Thank you to the alumni who participated and to those who couldn t make it but sent along their well-wishes. I know our graduating David Gordon, 69 and Kyle Rosen 14 seniors are already looking forward to the alumni weekend in 2014. We want this to be one of the biggest alumni events any sport has ever had. Thank you for your support in many ways. We can only continue to compete and get better with your support. Go Bison!!!! Coach Bob Hammerlee Scott Stieler
Bucknell Captures Men s and Women s Patriot League Rookie of the Year Award Bucknell women s tennis standout Maria Cioffi (Williamsport, Pa./South Williamsport) was voted the Patriot League Rookie of the Year. Cioffi led Bucknell in singles and doubles wins in her debut campaign. The freshman went 24-12 in singles, including 12-7 at the No. 2 position, and 23-9 in doubles. Cioffi began her singles career with wins in 14 of her first 17 singles bouts. That stretch included two finals appearances and the Mount St. Mary s title during the fall tournament season. She later went 3-2 against Patriot League opponents and cruised in her 6-1, 6-0 win against Holy Cross in the Patriot League Tournament. Cioffi and Vidrascu teamed up for much of the year in doubles, combining for a 19-8 record. Their 19 wins were more than triple the next Bison doubles tandem. After winning the Flight A title at the Mount St. Mary s Invitational, Cioffi and Vidrascu went on to go 4-1 against Patriot League teams. They never lost more than two consecutive matches while playing exclusively at No. 1 doubles. Cioffi is Bucknell s fourth Patriot League Rookie of the Year. She follows in the footsteps of Veronica Brown (2002-03), Tania Varela (2006-07) and Dumitrita Iepuras (2008-09). Nick Bybel (Lancaster, Pa./Hilton Head Christian Acad. (S.C.)) became Bucknell men s tennis first-ever Patriot League Rookie of the Year when the All-League teams and major awards were announced. Bybel, who was also voted First Team All-Patriot League Team, was joined by Kelly Morque (Rye, N.Y./Rye) and Evan Zimmer (Essex Fells, N.J./West Essex) on the Second Team. Additionally, Zimmer earned his third career selection to the Academic All-Patriot League Team. With an overall singles record of 22-9 and a doubles mark of 18-10 while playing at the top of the lineup in both, Bybel became just the second freshman in program history to earn All-League honors and the first to be named to the First Team. Bybel went 15-6 in singles dual matches in his rookie campaign. That record also included a 3-2 mark against Patriot League foes. On March 23, he became the first Bison to defeat Navy at No. 1 singles in more than 40 years. In doubles action, Bybel went 4-0 against conference opponents while playing with Josh Katten at the first and second positions. The duo never lost back-to-back matches after Feb. 23 and won nine of their final 11 completed bouts. Women s Tennis Announces 2013-14 Team Captains Elizabeth Morgan 14 I am excited and honored to serve as cocaptain alongside Elena again this coming year. Taking my experiences as captain from last year to heart, I am eager to continue solidifying the already-strong bonds we have formed, and hope to guide us towards even bigger things in the upcoming season. As a more experienced team both on and off the Elena Vidrascu 14 court, I am confident that with enough focus, hard work, and dedication, we will be able to reach our ultimate goal of winning the Patriot League Championships. I I m very fortunate to be named co-captain again for another year, especially it being my senior year. I'm excited to work on the things from last year that went both well and that needed some better execution, including leadership skills. The work will help myself, but more importantly the team, towards winning a Patriot League Championship.
We re So Close...Help our teams reach their fundraising goal! I hope the start to your summer has been great. This is a quick note about our fundraising efforts for the 2012-13 season which ends June 30th. As you know from previous letters, I was charged with raising $45,000. I am thrilled to announce that we are at $42,000 for the year and with only a few weeks left I am asking that you help us raise that last $3,000. We simply cannot do what we need to do to compete at the top of the Patriot League without your continued annual support. If you haven t given yet I am asking that you help us reach our goal and make that final push. I am humbled by the generosity already from those who have given so much. You have made the program better and have helped us grow. If you would like to help us meet our goal you can still make a gift by sending a check to Todd Newcomb in the Bison Club Office at Bucknell. Make the checks payable to Bucknell University and write Men's Tennis or Women's Tennis in the memo line. If you feel more comfortable using a credit card, you can call Todd at 570-577- 1771. To make it easier on your budget, credit card gifts can be set up as monthly contributions. Or, you can make the gift on-line at www.bucknellbison.com. Men s Tennis Announces 2013-14 Team Captains Kyle Rosen 14 "I am very excited to be a cocaptain of Bucknell Tennis. My previous captains have inspired and prepared me for this role and I feel confident in taking on the responsibilities and rewards that go along with it. Our team is a tight knit group of men that has grown immensely over the past Aidan Lynch 14 Bucknell Men s Tennis is a very special program and one of the most tight knit groups on campus. It is a privilege and an honor to follow in the footsteps of the great captains of the past. We have all been through such great highs and lows together and I cannot believe it is going to be my final few years both on and off the court. Aidan and I have no doubt that this year will bring an even stronger work ethic and a successful team come Patriot League tournament time. Go Bison!" and senior season. I know that my teammates and I are more than ready to win our first Patriot League title. We have been building a bond both on and off the court every year, which helps prepare each and every player on this team. We tasted in last year with a tough loss to Lehigh and I am confident that everyone will come back hungrier than ever because everyday is a great day to be a Bison.
A few memories from our outstanding spring break trip to Puerto Rico. THANK YOU to our parents, alumni and friends for making this trip possible. We had beautiful weather, awesome training facilities and outstanding competition. This was spring break they will never forget!!