MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Thanks to crucial wins over North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) foes Penn State Abington on Saturday, Apr. 21 and Keuka on Sunday, Apr. 22, Penn State Harrisburg's men's tennis team clinched its second straight North Atlantic Conference (NAC) West Division championship.
The Lions started the weekend by taking a 5-4 squeaker from Abington on the road that paid off big time in the conference standings. Local product Josh Cartmill (Carlisle, PA/Cumberland Valley), the team's number one singles man, took down the opposing Lions' top player 6-4, 6-3 while Vinnie Lepore (Chepachet, RI/Ponaganset) handled his business in the third slot, winning 6-0, 6-2. Zachry Warriner (Montrose, PA/Montrose) had to work hard, fighting off both exercise induced asthma and his opponent on his way to picking up the victory in the blue and white's fourth spot 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (6-8), 6-2.
Penn State Harrisburg got two more wins in doubles play when the team of Cartmill and Evgeny Matigullin (New Bloomfield, PA/Susquenita) downed their opponents 8-6 and the pair of Warriner and Daniel Good (Brownstown, PA/Conestoga Valley) topped Abington's number three team by the same margin.
Those five victories were enough to give the Lions a one-point win and keep them undefeated in conference play.
Things were a bit easier the next day. The blue and white swept the Storm 9-0 to put the finishing touches on an undefeated conference slate. Cartmill led the way again, winning his singles match 6-3, 6-0. Matigullin took care of the number two match 6-0, 6-1. Lepore, Warriner, Tyler Loy (Annville, PA/Annville-Cleona) and Vishnu Gopalakrishnan (Ashburn, VA/Briar Woods) all emerged victorious in the 3-6 spots.
The men were just as strong in doubles play. Cartmill and Matigullin bested Keuka's top pairing 8-1 while Lepore/Gopalakrishnan and Warriner/Loy completed 8-0 sweeps of their counterparts. The stellar outing sealed the deal for the Lions and earned them their second consecutive West Division crown.
Head Coach Becky Cecere had nothing but positive things to say about this year's squad and their efforts match in and match out.
"Last year's team was very good," she said. "This year's team is a true Penn State team; they play for each other…and they are there for the women, too. I love them all."