EMORY, Va. – The spring 2020 season of intercollegiate athletics is one that most certainly will be remembered. Unfortunately, it will not be the excitement of competition, the camaraderie between teammates that leads to lifelong friendships or the pride which comes from representing one's school that will be remembered. The memory will be that the season was cut short. Cut short by a thing so small, but one that has made a huge impact on our world as we know it.
The Emory & Henry College Department of Athletics will take pause over the next four weeks to reflect on these uncompleted spring seasons and look at what was, what might have been and what will be going forward. Some sports were in the middle of their seasons on Friday, March 13 when play was suspended. Others had barely gotten started.
Today, we continue our review with Men's Tennis.
Under the direction of third-year head coach Christine Johnston, and assisted by Emily (Henderson) Tortora, the Wasps were coming off their first winning season since 2012-13. The Wasps went 9-8 (3-8 ODAC) a year ago, and finished ninth in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, just missing out on the league postseason. This year, the team posted a 3-3 overall record, winning their three non-conference matches with an 0-3 record in the young ODAC season. The team was a mixture of youth and experience with four seniors, a trio of sophomores who contributed heavily a year ago and four newcomers.
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"Our men's team has amazed me with how much they have improved and their desire to take the program to new heights," said Johnston. "Although this year's seniors were a very integral part of our program, we are excited for the future of E&H men's tennis."
College tennis is one of a handful of sports with a split season. That is to say, there is a fall season and a spring season, both of which count as official on the schedule. The Wasps opened the year with a 9-0 shutout victory against Maryville (Tenn.) College. The next weekend, Emory & Henry sophomores Brandon McGuire (Christiansburg, Va.) and Archer Marlow (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) played in the ITA South Regional Championship, the Wasps' first appearance in the elite tournament since 2014. McGuire was drawn into the hyper-competitive A Flight while Marlow earned a win in Flight C. The duo also teamed up to play a pair of matches in Flight A Doubles. Returning to dual-match action, E&H fell to ODAC power Washington and Lee University before completing the fall with a 7-2 victory over Johnson University.
RELATED - 2019-20 Schedule
The Wasps got the spring started with an 8-1 exhibition win at Spartanburg Methodist College. E&H kept rolling, taking down William Peace University, 7-2, before getting back to ODAC play. Emory & Henry visited Virginia Wesleyan University and Randolph-Macon College on what would be the last weekend of the season, dropping both of those matches, 8-1.
Senior Cooper Garrett (Gate City, Va.) and Marlow led the team with four singles wins apiece, as Garrett went 4-1 at the No. 6 flight and Marlow earned three of his victories at No. 2. Senior Grayson McCarty (Marion, Va.) and freshman Adam Terry (Bristol, Va.) each won three matches, as the pair split time between No. 4 and No. 5 singles. The Wasps were a perfect 9-0 in their non-conference doubles matches for the year. McGuire and Terry led the way with a 3-3 record at the top flight, Garrett and Marlow went 3-3 at No. 2 and McCarty and senior Dalton Shipley (Gate City, Va.) had three wins at No. 3.
RELATED - 2019-20 Statistics
"During my freshman season, I fully expected to immerse myself in collegiate competition with the tennis team," commented Terry. "The abbreviated season left me hungry for the chance to compete next year and experience everything that the men's tennis program at Emory & Henry has to offer. I can't wait to pick up where we left off!"
The 2019-20 season left 13 matches to be played. However, Johnston is certain that Emory & Henry will continue to build on its 2018-19 breakout year when it returns to play this fall. "I believe there are many great things this team can accomplish in the years to come," she added.
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