Ohio Wesleyan University | Battling Bishop Athletics

2009-10 Season Preview

[ Kevin Kahn ] Ohio Wesleyan University men's tennis coach Tom Haddow will look to 8 returning lettermen and a talented group of newcomers to help the Battling Bishops continue their climb up the North Coast Athletic Conference standings.

Last year, the Bishops bounced back from a quarterfinal loss to win their final 2 matches in the NCAC tournament. The fifth-place finish was Ohio Wesleyan's best showing since 2003, and gave the Bishops a final overall record of 12-9.

Ohio Wesleyan continued that momentum with a 2-1 record last fall, with the Bishops recording 9-0 wins over both NCAA Division III opponents they faced.

Senior Brandon Luttinger (Hingham, Mass.) and sophomore Kevin Kahn (New Albany) return at the top of the Battling Bishop ladder.

Kahn played No. 1 singles last spring, compiling an 8-8 record against some of the best players in the region, and returned to the No. 1 spot last fall.

Luttinger played the fall portion of the 2008-09 schedule at No. 1, going 2-1, then notched a spectacular 14-2 record at No. 3 during the spring campaign.

Junior Scott Hellberg (Sarver, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic) and sophomore Max Razmakhin (Voronezh, Russia/Lyceum #2) are once again vying for the No. 4 spot in the lineup. Hellberg saw the most action there last season, going 6-5 overall, while Razmakhin was 2-2 at No. 4.

[ Brandon Luttinger ] Sophomore Solomon Ryan (Pelham Manor, N.Y./Soundview) is back at No. 5 singles after compiling a 4-9 record there last year.

Sophomore Ryan Leslie (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./Grosse Pointe South) returns at the No. 6 spot. Leslie ranked second on the team with 11 singles wins last year, including a 7-5 mark at No. 6.

Junior Zach Weaver (Westerville/South), who went 5-2 at the No. 6 singles spot last year, also returns.

Senior Garrett Paknis (Morristown, N.J./Madison), who did not play during the 2008-09 season, also returns to provide experience and leadership. Paknis shared the team lead with an 11-6 overall record in 2007-08 — including an 8-3 mark at No. 5 singles — and led the Bishops with an 8-6 record in 2006-07.

Sophomore Pete O'Connor (Concord, Mass./Cushing Academy) rounds out the contingent of returning players.

Incoming players who could make an impact immediately include freshman Jake Kerosky (Ashtabula/Lakeside), freshman John Rissell (Whitefish Bay, Wis./University School), freshman Jeremy Stursberg (Philadelphia, Pa./Friends Central), freshman Matt Swaim (Oregon/Clay), and freshman Will Thieman (Columbus/Upper Arlington).

While the Bishops return several successful combinations in doubles, Haddow may shuffle the lineups for spring 2010. Kahn and Luttinger teamed up at No. 1 doubles last fall, representing Ohio Wesleyan at the ITA regional tournament, and that pairing could continue into spring play.

Kahn was a fixture at No. 1 doubles last year, going 13-5 in doubles while playing most often with Hellberg. Luttinger saw the most time at No. 2 doubles last year, and Leslie and Weaver were the most frequent combination at No. 3 doubles.

The Bishops begin their spring season on Feb. 13, when they face NCAC West opponents Wabash and Earlham in Crawfordsville, Ind. The season also includes a spring trip to Hilton Head, S.C. and an appearance at the Great Lakes Colleges Association tournament at Kenyon on April 9-10, and concludes with the NCAC tournament at Denison on May 1-2.

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