Men's Tennis Finishes Close Second in AMCC Championship
The men's tennis team was only a step away from capturing the AMCC Championship for the second year in a row. After winning the AMCC title by only one point over Frostburg a year ago, Behrend finished second by the same margin to Altoona at this year's championship. The final scores for the match, which was held at Pitt-Greensburg, were Altoona with ten points, Behrend with nine, Frostburg with seven points, and Greensburg finished with no points.
Six Behrend Lions were awarded all-conference honors for their first and second place finishes in their respective flights. Leading the way for Behrend was sophomore Brian Espin (Warren/Warren). He captured the second flight singles crown and finished as the runner-up in number two doubles. James Myers (Cranberry/Seneca Valley) took a first place finish in flight five for singles and came in second place for the third flight of doubles. Trevor Dougherty (Meadville/Meadville) paired up with Myers in third doubles and took second in sixth flight singles. Miles Boyea (Upper Canada, WI/St. Vincent) and Todd Guarnieri (Neshannock/New Castle) took second in the first flight of doubles. Rounding out the all-conference performers was Matt Myer (Rush, NY/Rush Henrietta). Myer earned second team honors for his runner-up finishes in both the fourth flight of singles and second flight of doubles.
"The four freshman and two sophomore starters have gotten the chance to get used to playing at the collegiate level quickly and were a huge contribution to the team this year," said head coach Jeff Barger. The team ended 5-1 in AMCC standings and 11-8 overall. The young team should see numerous players return in 2006.