As the men’s tennis team heads into their second full season, the excitement from the inaugural season continues. The team returns all six of its regular starters plus four others from the 2016 campaign and adds four new faces to the roster as well. 

Coach Craft is delighted at the options this gives her as they begin the preseason and explains, “With less than one week until our first match against Mount Aloysius, it can be a little daunting to try to determine a line-up that quickly. But as I’ve said many times through the years with our women’s team, too many good players is never something to complain about. It is matter of finding the right doubles combinations and determining who are our most solid line-up of singles players are.”

Craft and assistant coach Tim Frazier will begin the preseason indoors at Brady’s Run Park, looking at those options day-in and day-out until a line-up comes together. “One benefit of starting with non-conference matches is that we know we don’t have to find the perfect line-up by then. We may find we need to tweak some things,” she says.

Geneva’s Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) opener is Friday, March 24 at Westminster. The Golden Tornadoes will then have until April 27 to prove themselves in the PAC and earn seedings for the PAC Tournament on April 28-29 in Erie, Pa.

“One of our biggest goals as we continue to develop this program is to make it to the second day of the PAC Championship Tournament. It’s not as easy as our women sometimes make it look,” Craft says. “In reality, our success throughout the season will determine a lot of what happens at the tournament because every day each player is trying to build a record that will put him in a good position in the bracket.”

Junior Jesse Hooke will be the first captain of this young men’s program. As he looks ahead to a new season and a new role, Hooke says, “Heading into our second season, the motivation levels are high and I’m excited to see how everyone will improve on and off the court.”

Overall, the continued success of the team doesn’t hinge on one tournament or even the matches that lead up to it. Craft says, “For me, building a program is definitely a process.  The most important aspect to me is that we are building it on the right foundation.  I couldn’t ask for a better group of young men to lead this program where it needs to go.”

The 2017 men’s tennis season opens on Saturday, February 25 at Mount Aloysius starting at noon. The Golden Tornadoes home opener will be on Wednesday, March 29 hosting Bethany at 4 p.m. at Blackhawk High School tennis courts.