2002 Men's Outlook

The Tigers are leaving the friendly confines of the AMERICA EAST Conference for the more rugged Colonial Athletic Association with mixed emotions.

Towson was a bigger fish in the north’s AMERICA EAST where the length of the tennis season depended upon how quickly the snow melted. They won one conference title and were second and third in other years. They were always in the hunt.

Now Towson is headed for a warmer climate and a part of the country where they take their tennis more seriously. They’ll be competing in the CAA for the first time this spring.

"It’s apples and oranges when comparing the two conferences," says Tiger coach Tom Meinhardt, who has directed Towson’s tennis program through the Mason-Dixon Conference, the East Coast Conference, the Big South Conference and AMERICA EAST over a 25-year period. "The quality of play in the CAA overall is much better. It’s going to be a challenge for us to be competitive in this new league."

Two years ago CAA champ Virginia Commonwealth posted a 27-5 record, bowing to Stanford in the NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis National Championship match. The Rams have made eight straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament. "No one in AMERICA EAST has ever come close to that kind of success, much less scored a point in the NCAA Tournament" Dr. Meinhardt says. "We’re going to have to do a lot of adjusting."

In addition to VCU, Dr. Meinhardt sees William & Mary plus Old Dominion as members of the CAA’s elite. Leading the way for the Tigers is senior Bryan Rowland at number one singles again. He brings a 66-33 record into his final season. An All-Conference selection in the past he posted a mediocre 6-5 record in the fall following an inactive summer consumed with an internship. Junior Trey Ragase is back at number two with a two-year record of 33-33. He and Rowland will team again at number one doubles where they are 18-8 since joining forces last spring.

Newcomer Nitin Deodhar, a transfer from Montgomery Rockville Community College, has nailed down the number three singles, replacing Josh Hamilton who graduated and who is attending Law School. He was 9-2 in the fall. Sophomore Chris Rowland, who played at number five last year, moves up to four this spring. He was 6-3 at five last year. Chris is expected to team with Andrew Davis to form the second doubles. They were 6-3 together in the fall.

Another sophomore, Dan Selzer, is the number five player. His 7-5 record in the fall included an ECAC title at number four.

Junior Matt Shore is holding on to the sixth singles spot. He was 10-11 there last year but was All-Conference as a doubles player. He’ll probably team with freshman Navin Kahn or Deodhar at third doubles.