For the first time in the 87-year-old history of the Eastern Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Dartmouth's men's tennis team won the championship. The Big Green clinched a three-way tie with Harvard and Yale this weekend by defeating Army on Friday and Cornell on Saturday.
After a huge win against Harvard last Tuesday, the team then faced Army. Doubles went well for the Big Green as they took the first point of the match. This was an important point because the team was without Jim Rich '96, who was sidelined with an injury.
At first singles, Dan Coakley '94 played through a tough, three-set match against Marco Cohen. After taking the first set 6-4, Coakley dropped the second, 4-6. Bearing down in the third set, Coakley stomped on Cohen, 6-2.
Holden Spaht '96 had a hard fought, straight-set victory at number-two singles. After Spaht won a close first set, 7-5, the match was forced into a second set tie-breaker. Spaht prevailed in the tie-breaker to take the set and the match, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3).
At third singles, Alex Kaplan '93 lost in straight sets. After losing a close first set in a tie-breaker, 6-7, Kaplan dropped the second set, 1-6.
Captain Sam Cook '93, Randy White '94 and Kurt Bruggeman '95 all won their matches fairly easily in straight sets.
After the 6-1 victory against Army, the Big Green were just one step away from their first championship. Only a loss to Cornell separated Dartmouth from the EITA title.
The Big Green entered this match confidently for they had defeated Cornell during the fall season, 5-2.
The Big Green won two out of the three doubles matches. At number-one doubles, Coakley and Kaplan lost 6-8. This loss did not matter, for the second doubles team of Cook and Greg Alden '94, and the third doubles team of Spaht and Bruggeman, won their matches.
Coakley finished the season with a strong, three-set victory at first singles against Morgan Parker. Coakley won the first set, 6-2 but the close second set went to Parker, 7-5. With a strong finish, Coakley took the third and final set, 6-2.
Spaht had an easy victory at number two singles, crushing his opponent in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2. But Kaplan faltered in straight sets, 3-6, 3-6.
Cook finished his collegiate tennis career with a win in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3.
Both White and Bruggeman also had easy, straight-set victories. They won their matches, 6-3, 6-2, and, 6-2, 6-1 respectively. These two wins sealed off a dominant 6-1 victory against a tough Cornell team, and clinched a piece of the EITA title.
"Since I've been here we've always had the talent and the potential to be successful, but we lacked something," Kaplan said. "This year, we came together, put individual goals aside, and did what we had to do to win."
