Lyons seek third straight NEWMAC Tournament finals appearance

April 27, 2007

NORTON, MA- The regionally-ranked Wheaton College men's tennis team travels tomorrow to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which is hosting the final two rounds of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament. As the second seed, the Lyons look to make their third straight finals appearance and fourth overall.

At 10-4 overall and 4-1 in the league, Wheaton is ranked 12th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Northeast regional rankings. The Blue and White finished second in the NEWMAC's regular season standings, marking the fifth straight season in which the Lyons at least tied for the runner-up spot, and the sixth time in the nine-year history of the league. In Wheaton's eighth semifinal appearance, the squad opposes number three Springfield College at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. The Lyons dispatched the Pride, 7-2 on April 14. Number one MIT will face fourth-seeded Babson College in the other semifinal, with the two winners squaring at approximately 3:00 p.m. for the tournament crown.

Wheaton has been led this spring by a senior quintet, as well as two freshmen who have made an immediate impact. Senior Payum Payman (Pleasant Valley, NY/Arlington), who was the Northeast region's lone alternate for last year's NCAA Championship, is 17-5 this year as the Lyons' first-position singles player. At 12-2 this spring, he went 5-0 in league play and has won his last nine matches overall.

Payman recorded his 100th career victory between singles and doubles earlier this season, a milestone that classmate Brian Danishevsky (Hamden, CT/Hamden Hall Country Day School) is rapidly approaching with 96 entering the weekend. Danishevsky is 14-6 as the number two player, while senior Brad Dressler (Cranston, RI/Cranston West) is 16-2 this school year, including 14-0 in the spring at number three. He has 88 career victories.

Senior Will Stoddard (Huntington, VT/Mount Mansfield Union) has seen his first significant playing time since his freshman year as Wheaton's fourth singles player, having posted an 8-6 mark. In the fifth position, classmate Raymour Radhakrishnan (Amherst, NH/Bridgton Academy) has solidified a starting spot for the first time in his career, going 8-5 this spring. Freshman Kyle Hudgins (Uxbridge, MA/Uxbridge) has gone 10-3 primarily at number six, including 5-0 in league play.

In doubles, Dressler and Payman are 10-6 as the Lyons' top tandem during their first year playing together. Danishevsky and Radhakrishnan have been primarily paired in the second position, posting a 7-5 record, while Stoddard and freshman James Little (Mount Desert, ME/Mount Desert Island) are 5-5 out of the third doubles spot.

The Lyons have recorded their fifth straight season of 10-plus wins under head coach Lynn Miller, as well as hitting double digits for the eighth time in nine years. A 27-year coach at Wheaton, including the only one the men's tennis program has known in its 18-year history, Miller recorded her 450th career tennis coaching victory earlier this month.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 4/27/07.
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