Record: 9-2 (8-0 PAC)
Head Coach: Ron Kochera (2nd season, East Stroudsburg) 15-8, (12-4) PAC
Assistant Coaches: Jim Greene (2nd season)
Postseason: 0-1 (5-4 loss to Baruch, NCAA 1st round)
Awards: Zachary Lockwood: PAC Rookie of the Year, All-PAC 2nd team, Team MVP
David Emkey: PAC Flight #2 Doubles champ, All-PAC 1st team Doubles, All-PAC 2nd team Singles, All-PAC Sportsmanship, PAC Player of the Week (4/16), Team Sportsmanship Award
Phil Snyder: Team Coaches’ Award
Kyle Levengood: All-PAC 2nd team, PAC Player of the Week Honor Roll (4/3)
David Schaeffer: PAC Flight #5 Singles champ, PAC Flight #2 Doubles champ, All-PAC 1st team singles/doubles, Team Most Improved Player
Despite the preseason poll choosing Alvernia as the 6th best team in the conference, the Crusaders showed their grit and determination to rise back to the top of the PAC. Finishing with a final record of 9-2, and a perfect 8-0 record in the PAC, the Crusaders completed the most prolific Men’s Tennis season in Alvernia’s history. The Crusaders were the first team in PAC history to achieve an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Tournament. Their season was capped off with a nail-biter against Baruch College in the NCAA first round, losing by a score of 5-4.
The team was truly balanced, which led to the successful season. Playing at the number one position was freshman Zachary Lockwood (Sinking Spring, PA/Conrad Weiser). Zach finished with an overall record of 11-3 (6-2 PAC), earning himself PAC Rookie of the Year honors. He attained All-PAC 2nd team honors by defeating #2 seed Kyle McGee from Marywood in the semifinals, and took the #1 seed, Tim Fitzgerald from Arcadia, three sets before falling. Lockwood was also named the team’s MVP, to complete his successful first season as the top player.
Back out on the courts this year was senior David Emkey (Reading, PA/Holy Name). Coming back to the team after lower back surgery, Emkey completed his season with an 11-3 mark, including a 7-1 record in the PAC. David was named to 2nd team All-PAC for singles, after his 3-set loss in the finals to top seed Joe Listanski from Marywood. Emkey was also named Player of the Week (4/16), after posting a perfect 3-0 record in #2 singles and doubles during Alvernia’s toughest stretch of the season. Dave capped off his season by achieving both a PAC Sportsmanship award, and the team’s sportsmanship award.
Moving down a spot from the year before did nothing to deter junior Phil Snyder (Easton, PA/Notre Dame). At the #3 spot, Snyder racked up an 8-4 record, with a 7-1 mark in the PAC. He was given the team Coaches’ Award, as he improved greatly from the season before, through his hard work and practice in the offseason.
In his first year playing collegiate tennis, junior Kyle Levengood (Fleetwood, PA/Brandywine Heights), left quite the impression on the PAC. He finished with a perfect 8-0 singles record in the PAC, and was named 2nd team All-PAC. He finished with a team best 12-2 singles record overall which included a 10 match win streak. Levengood was also named to the PAC Honor Roll for the week ending April 2nd, with a 4-0 record at #4 singles and #3 doubles.
Junior David Schaeffer (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) made a marked improvement from the year before, finishing with an 11-3 singles mark, including a 7-1 PAC record at the #5 spot. Dave was the lone PAC singles champion for the Crusaders, winning the #5 singles bracket, despite being unranked in the tournament. Dave also carried a 9 match winning streak during the season, starting with the match clinching victory versus defending PAC champion Marywood.
Splitting duties at the #6 slot were freshman Ryan Lineaweaver (Robesonia, PA/ELCO) and senior Michael Allegra (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Ryan). Allegra played the bulk of the matches, finishing with a 2-6 record. Meanwhile, Lineaweaver finished with a 1-3 record, with the last being a heart-breaking 3-set tiebreak defeat in the NCAA tournament.
The #1 doubles team of Lockwood and Lineaweaver finished with a 4-8 overall record, including a 3-5 record in the PAC. The #2 doubles team of Emkey/Schaeffer had an excellent season, finished with an 11-3 record, and finishing as the PAC Flight #2 doubles champs, with a convincing victory in the finals over a previously undefeated Neumann team. The #3 doubles combination of Snyder and Levengood finished with sparkling 13-1 record and earning 2nd team All-PAC doubles honor, after their lone loss of the season in the PAC tournament.
This team was truly six players deep this year, as all of the players made contributions to victories. No match was won the same way with this gritty team, pulling from all of their doubles teams and singles players to win. With at least four starters returning next year, and possibly all six coming back, the Crusaders seem geared up to defend their PAC title in 2008 and once again make it back to the NCAA tournament to avenge their loss.