The run toward an Empire 8 Conference title fell just short for the men’s tennis team (7—9 overall, 5—2 Empire 8) with a 5-3 defeat at the hands of top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology (11—7 overall, 7—0 Empire 8) this afternoon in the conference finals on the Wheeler Tennis Courts.
The Bombers’ biggest highlight came at first doubles. The team of senior captain Jimmy Newton and sophomore David Andersen defeated Stevens juniors Chris Rosensteel and Shota Taskai 8-5. The Rosensteel/Tasaki pairing was ranked ninth in the region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and entered the match with a 19—7 record during the course of this academic year.
Andersen and senior Dan Levine also won in singles play for the Blue and Gold. Andersen defeated Stevens sophomore Derek Smith 6-3, 6-3 in fifth singles and Levine prevailed against freshman Daniel Szwarc by a score of 6-3, 6-1 in sixth singles.