April 30, 2006
#14 Shoremen Reclaim Centennial Title
Washington Downs Hopkins, 6-1 in Final

CHESTERTOWN, MD -- The Washington College men's tennis team, ranked 14th in Division III and third in the Atlantic South region, won their 12th Centennial Conference Championship in the 13 years of the conference's existence with a 6-1 victory over visiting Johns Hopkins University in the conference championship match today at Schottland Tennis Center. The Shoremen (19-3) won their 16th consecutive victory with the win, tying the longest overall win streak in team history and extending their single-season school record win streak.

Washington senior Mike Edison (Darnestown, MD/Good Counsel) and senior Maciek Prytula (Szczecin, Poland/PLO) won the first doubles match to finish, besting Nick Kennedy and Raffe Roberti, 8-3, at No. 2. Freshman Anantha Bhaskar (Chennai, India/National Open School) and freshman Rafael Roldan (Quito, Ecuador/Academia Cotopaxi) clinched the doubles point for Washington with a 9-7 victory over Kevin Ma and Matt Naftilan at No. 2. Junior Arturo Solis (Guatemala, Guatemala/Valle Verde School) and senior Tim Riskie (Woodbury, NJ/Woodbury), the fourth-ranked tandem in the Atlantic South, made it a doubles sweep with a 9-7 victory against Joe Vasoontara and Hillen Smith at No. 1.

Prytula extended the lead to 2-0 with a quick 6-0, 6-2, win over Naftilan at No. 5 singles. Roldan pushed the advantage to 3-0 with a 6-4, 6-2, victory against Michael Kelly-Sell at No. 6. Solis, the top-ranked singles player in the region, clinched the championship for the Shoremen with a 6-2, 6-2, win over Vasoontara, ranked 19th in the region, at No. 1. Edison added a 7-5, 6-1, win against Ma at No. 4 for Washington before Roberti got Hopkins (11-8) on the board with a 6-4, 4-6, 10-3 win against Bhaskar at No. 3. Riskie finished things off with a 6-7(8), 6-2, 10-7 victory against Smith at No. 2.

"It feels great to bring the Centennial trophy back to Chestertown where it belongs," commented Washington head coach Constantine Ananiadis. "Our guys worked hard all year and it was one of our goals to win the championship and Hopkins played a great match and made us earn it. It also gives us an extra boost going into the NCAA Tournament."

Washington's first 16-match win streak was comprised of wins in the final 11 matches of 1994 and the first five of 1995.

Washington won the first 11 Centennial Conference Championships before Johns Hopkins took home the trophy last season.

MATCH RESULTS