May 6, 2006
#20 Swarthmore Downs #14 WC in NCAA's
Garnet Post 4-3 Win Over Shoremen in First Round

FREDERICKSBURG, VA -- Swarthmore College, ranked 20th in Division III and fourth in the Atlantic South region, defeated Washington College, ranked 14th in Division III and third in the Atlantic South, by a 4-3 final in an NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Tournament first round match today at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA.

Swarthmore (7-10) took a 1-0 lead by capturing the first two doubles matches to finish. Jonathan Lo and Jonathan Reiss defeated Washington senior Mike Edison (Darnestown, MD/Good Counsel) and senior Maciek Prytula (Szczecin, Poland/PLO), 8-4, at No. 2 and Zac Rodd and Brian Park bested junior Arturo Solis (Guatemala, Guatemala/Valle Verde School) and senior Tim Riskie (Woodbury, NJ/Woodbury), the fourth-ranked doubles team in the region, 8-5, at No. 1. The No. 3 doubles match between Swarthmore's Kevin Shaughnessy and Sam Sidhu and Washington freshmen Anantha Bhaskar (Chennai, India/National Open School) and Rafael Roldan (Quito, Ecuador/Academia Cotopaxi) was left unfinished at 6-6 once the doubles point was decided per NCAA Tournament procedure.

The Shoremen (19-4) tied things up when Roldan dismissed Sidhu, 6-3, 6-1, at No. 6 singles. Bhaskar defeated Park, 6-1, 6-3, at No. 3 singles to give the Shoremen a 2-1 lead. Reiss, the eighth-ranked singles player in the Atlantic South, pulled Swarthmore even by completing a 6-3, 6-3, win over Riskie at No. 2. Lo gave the Garnet a 3-2 lead with a 1-6, 6-0, 6-3, victory over Edison at No. 4. Solis, the region's top-ranked singles player, evened the score for Washington with a 6-4, 7-6(3), victory against Rodd, the region's fifth-ranked singles player, at No. 1, but Adam Wallwork bested Prytula, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, at No. 5 to give Swarthmore the win.

Swarthmore has now defeated Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for three straight years. All three matches have had 4-3 final scores.

"Swarthmore played a great match today," commented Washington College head coach Constantine Ananiadis. "We didn't play as well as we're capable of playing. Our nerves got the better of us; that can happen in postseason play. This was a great year for our team. We appreciate our seniors' contributions through the years and we look forward to the success our returning players will have next year."

While Washington's season as a team is over, Solis, as the top-ranked player in the region, is almost assured of a spot in the NCAA Division III Singles Championship Tournament later this month. Solis and Riskie are also in contention for a spot in the NCAA Division III Doubles Championship Tournament.

MATCH RESULTS