Men’s Tennis set to serve

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Jan. 24, 2010) – With a new head coach in Michael Guice and a solid mix of returning athletes and incoming players the Occidental College men’s tennis program looks to use its depth to improve both their overall and Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings in 2010.

This spring 16 Tigers will don the Black and Orange for Occidental with nine new student-ahtletes joining the seven returning players. All of the incoming student-athletes have tournament experience, which will factor into their confidence levels as they take on tough opponents throughout the season.

Within the incoming class, five players have broken into the Top-10 and with the slim differential in abilities, they are pushing each other every day to become better individually as the team improves as a unit.

“Unlike in years past we are stronger and have more depth than we have had on the courts in a long time,” said Guice, a first year head coach  who returns to his alma mater. “All of our players, new and returning, are capable of improving their skills drastically over the next few years as we begin to rebuild the program at Oxy.”

The Tigers’ confidence level will aid them when they face teams at the top of the conference throughout the season.

Returning to the court in 2010 are six starting players from a year ago including seniors Chris Wan and Victor Sowers who will play a strategic role at No. 1 doubles, while junior Stefan Pastor and sophomore Ben Herrington-Gilmore will play vital roles in singles action. With the No. 5 and No. 6 singles spots and the No. 3 doubles team yet to be determined, the new players are competing to earn those spots and the race is tight as the Tigers enter the season.

Also bringing collegiate experience back for Oxy this spring are senior Jamal Fahim, juniors Reed Nixon and sophomore Tyler Morgan. Along with the returning core other players who will make immediate impacts on the squad are transfer Josh Capelle as well as freshman Rod Bandeira, Timothy Chang, Stephen Perkins and Spencer Choy.

In addition to the skills these student-athletes bring to the courts, another strength for this squad is leadership. As a recent graduate of Occidental, Guice was where these players are just a few short years ago, and played alongside three of the current seniors.

“The bond that we formed as teammates has resonated to the rest of the team and we have established a comprehensive unit that possesses one common goal,” said Guice.

The Tigers will continue to work hard and are sure to show improvements throughout the season as they join forces to take the first step towards that ultimate goal, which is to return to the top half of the SCIAC standings.