2009 Men's Tennis Season Outlook

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA -- Dan Greenberg first arrived on the Williams campus in 2004 as an aspiring member of the Eph team and just five years later he returns as the Ephs’ rookie head coach. He is the third head coach that this year’s senior class will have played under as Greenberg succeeds Dave Donn, who coached for two years after succeeding the longtime coach, Dave Johnson. Greenberg played for both Johnson (three years) and Donn (one year).

The Williams men’s tennis program has compiled a streak of 13 consecutive trips to the NCAA Quarterfinals, and most observers do not see a reason for that streak to end in Greenberg’s debut season, considering the level of talent returning and the quality of the incoming first year class.

Greenberg had a stellar career at Williams, twice earning All-America honors in singles play, winning the ITA New England singles title, finishing third at the ITA National Small College Championships, and being named the 2008 NESCAC Player of the Year.

Last year, Greenberg served as the volunteer assistant coach at the University of North Carolina, while also serving as Assistant Pro at the Hollow Rock Racquet Club in Durham, NC.

Greenberg spent the bulk of the summer scouring the country to find and assess players to join his first recruited class next fall. He will have the top two singles players and four of six from the singles lineup back this season, along with five of six players who competed in doubles play. The Ephs were 14-6 (6-2 NESCAC) last year and ended up tied for fifth in the nation.

Jeremy Weinberger '10

Lost to graduation were doubles specialist Bret Thacher and third singles Rick Devlin and six singles Karol Furmaga.

Senior captains Nick Lebedoff and Jeremy Weinberger are expected to man the top of the Ephs singles ladder and both play doubles. Lebedoff played at one singles last season, and for the second year in a row he was accorded First Team All-NESCAC honors and advanced to the round of 16 at the NCAA Singles Tournament. On the year, Lebedoff posted a singles record of 12-9, adding to his career record of 46-20. “Nick has been a leader ever since his freshman year,” said Greenberg. “He leads by example, always showing up to work hard, and I know he’ll be a great captain.”

Weinberger earned Second Team All-NESCAC honors in 2009 and competed in the NCAA Singles Tournament where he lost his first match. Weinberger notched a record of 16-11 playing at two singles for the first time in his career.  Overall, Weinberger owns a singles record of 51-18. “Jeremy has matured a lot over his first three years in every aspect of the game,” stated Greenberg. “Not only will he make a big impact as a player, he’ll also make a big impact as a captain and leader for our team.”

Kevin Shallcross '12

Sophomores Will Petrie and Kevin Shallcross are coming off impressive first years, and they will help Greenberg counter the senior-oriented top of the ladder. Petrie played at four singles, while Shallcross anchored the fifth slot.

Petrie delivered a 17-4 mark in singles play, and when teamed with Lebedoff at number two doubles, rang up a record of 11-5. Shallcross fashioned a singles ledger of 16-4, and he and Jeremy Weinberger were 18-6 playing at three doubles.

Thacher’s graduation leaves sophomore Dicken Chaplin without a partner heading into the season, but that is the lone loss in the doubles lineup. Chaplin’s play a year ago was limited to doubles-only duty due to injury, but it is hoped that the energetic and expressive Chaplin will return to good health and challenge for a spot in the singles lineup, while remaining in doubles play.

Junior Ari Binder has seen limited action in his first two years, but he also will be in the mix for time in both the singles and doubles play. Career numbers for Binder show he has compiled a record of 11-7 in singles play and 14-6 in doubles play (with four different partners).

Wil Petrie '12

Returning four battle-tested players in singles and five of six in doubles gives Greenberg a strong core to mold his first Eph team around.

A goal for Greenberg’s first team of Ephs will be to create the right conditions for improvement through hard work and high energy. “Improving every practice is our top priority, but we’ll also need to understand the bigger picture and long-term effects of our hard work,” noted Greenberg. “If we can do that, the team should be able to stay positive and inspired. 

Last spring www.tennisrecruiting.net listed the Ephs’ incoming Class of 2013 as the most talented in Division III play and the seventh best in the nation outside of the top Division I teams.

Greenberg will have plenty of weapons to call on to fill out a strong lineup this fall, but he has tailored the early portion of his schedule to give himself time to teach and assess his players, many of whom he has only seen glimpses of on tape or at national tournaments this summer

The incoming class features the trio of Trey Meyer (New Orleans), Felix Sun (Potomac, MD), and Zachary Weiss (Great Neck, NY), who are all four-star recruits, while Bryan Chow (Schenectady, NY) is a three –star recruit along with Dylan Page (Portland, OR). Eric Dietsche (Bay Shore, NY) rounds out the large Class of 2013.

Chow teamed with Weinberger over the summer at the Cornell Summer ITA, and the Eph duo won the doubles title.

Dicken Chaplin '13

Two very competitive invitational events—the ITA New England Regional and the Dartmouth Invitational—should give Greenberg a chance to assess the talents of many players. He is also hopeful that the Ephs can add one or two dual matches later in the fall to offer everyone a chance to showcase their talents.

While Greenberg wants his team to get the most out of their short but competitive fall schedule, he also wants to encourage his team to immerse themselves in the community and get the most out of their four years at Williams. They can look to their upper-classmen as examples: Junior Ari Binder will be serving as a Junior Advisor to incoming freshmen this academic year, and Nick Lebedoff and Jeremy Weinberger spent the summer interning for medical organizations in South Africa and New York City. Senior Ben Kelley worked at NY Presbyterian Hospital, and senior Ben Davidson spent time at UNC and Duke, researching Reconstruction in their archives of African-American history.

Greenberg ‘s Ephs will open the fall season at home on the Torrence M. Hunt Tournament Courts as they host the ITA New England Regional September 25-27.