Dartmouth will become the Big Green mecca of tennis this weekend as it hosts the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Northeast Regional Championship from Oct. 20 to Oct. 25 at the Allie Boss Tennis Center/Gordon Pavilion.
Top athletes from 40 Division I college tennis teams from the Northeast region of the United States will compete in singles and doubles competitions.
Players will travel from as far as Virginia Tech and Penn State to be part of what promises to be an unbelievable six days of serves and volleys.
Of course, the other Ivy League schools will all be competing in this tournament, with Brown University's Dan Hanegby ranked No. 60 in ITA, and Harvard's doubles team ranked No. 33.
Other ranked players include No. 36 Mark Barry from Penn State, who could very well prove to be a formidable challenge for the Big Green.
Dartmouth, however, does have some clout on the court as well, with its highest ranked player Jeff Schectman '08.
With regards to this week's ITA competition, Schectman said, "It's the most important tourney of the fall, and it's essential if you want to start playing nationally."
"It's tough that it's during Homecoming, but I'm looking forward to playing some of the best players in the region," he added.
Obviously, the Big Green is prepared to put up as valiant an effort to protect its home turf as Andre Agassi showed in this year's U.S. Open.
The preparations are underway for such a defense, with men's Head Coach Charles M. Kinyon "under the gun," preparing his team. Kinyon said, "This [The ITA regional championship] is a great event and real opportunity to show off our great school and terrific tennis facilities."
At last year's ITA Regionals, the Dartmouth women made a splash, plowing their way to the quarterfinals in doubles action, after coming into the tournament unranked.
The team of captains Sarah McNally '05 and Jayme Ahmed '05 bounced the No. 3 and No. 9 teams before being eliminated by the No. 1 and No. 17 teams, both from the University of Maryland. Ahmed has returned to Hanover this year as the assistant coach for the women's tennis outfit.
Kinyon, a veteran of bone-chilling New Hampshire winters, is also getting set for the qualifying round that begins tomorrow at 11 a.m.
The main draw will take place on Friday at 11 a.m. Prospects are high for the Big Green to turn more heads in this year's contest.
The tennis team sits equipped to begin a major test of its prowess and is truly ready to give a rouse for the College on the Hill at this week's ITA Regionals.
