Men's Tennis Finishes 4th in Nation; Fuggi Named 2nd Team All-American
Toms River, NJ - OCC Men's Tennis ended their 2018-19 season ranked #4 in the nation after a strong showing at the 2019 NJCAA D-III National Championship Tournament, held in Peachtree City, GA from May 9-12th.
The Vikings, who finished 5-1 overall in the regular season, faced a tough field on the national stage, with 4-time defending champion Oxford Emory considered the favorite, and defending Region XIX champion Rowan College at Gloucester County (who Ocean upset in their first match of the season) an opponent as well. Ocean fought hard, with 1st Singles Sean Boyle advancing to the semifinal round, and Liam Raftery, Yanir Shriki, and Carl Genz winning their respective 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Singles consolation brackets. Tyler Laycock battled into the consolation finals round in 5th Singles, while 6th Singles player Robby Fuggi advanced to the finals before falling to Oxford Emory in a gritty performance that landed him 2nd Team All-American honors upon the tournament's conclusion.
On the Doubles' side, Ocean's top tandem of Sean Boyle and Liam Raftery took down Illinois Valley to win the consolation bracket in 1st Doubles, while Yanir Shriki and Jack Schneider took the consolation win in 2nd Doubles. Additionally, Robby Fuggi and Carl Genz advanced to the consolation finals in the 3rd Doubles flight.
Final Team Standings
1. Oxford Emory - 33
2. Onondaga - 28.5
3. Rowan College at Gloucester County - 13.5
4. Ocean County College - 12.5
5. Nassau Community College - 11.5
6. Mercer County College - 5.5
7. Illinois Valley - 0
OCC Men's Tennis Head Coach Alec Williamson - "The men's tennis team did a great job this season. This preseason, we introduced a narrative that would bring us far into a national tournament. Practice was always thoughtful and productive, and the regular season matchplay kept us aware of our level. The national tournament exposed the team to exactly what I wanted for them: competitive teams with a shared narrative. Our competitors offered us a bundle of takeaways to further stoke our future success. I'm very proud of all team members, and I can expect for next season to be just as good, if not better."
OCC Executive Director of Athletics Ilene Cohen - "What a special group of gentleman here... They defined Viking pride.... Who would have thought that after hiring a 1st year head coach (Alec Williamson) that we would have been at Nationals, let alone finish 4th in the country with 12.5 team points? Coach Alec has set the bar high for future OCC Tennis, and Coach Dallas is a tremendous asset as well."
Congratulations to OCC Men's Tennis on what was an outstanding season.