The men's tennis team enters the fall season with their highest hopes in recent memory. The team returns five of the top six players from a squad that finished 13th in the country last season. The team is also excited to welcome first-year head coach Chris Garner, a former assistant at Ohio State University. The combination of a fantastic returning group, a new coach with very impressive credentials, and a strong incoming class has the Jeffs eying lofty goals, including beating Williams College for the first time in over a decade.

2006-07 was a season of near misses for the Jeffs, who lost to Middlebury College in both the NESCAC semifinals and the national round of 16. Other than the two losses to the powerhouse Panther team that finished third in the nation, the Jeffs lost only three times. The team finished with an overall record of 13-5, including a victory over the University of Connecticut, a Div. I team. They accomplished all of this despite a critical injury to Tristan Biesecker '10, one of the team's top three singles players, that caused him to miss over half of the season.

The team will miss the services of Karti Subramanian and Jeff Lawrence, both lost to graduation. Subramanian was a steady force in the singles lineup while Lawrence was a much-loved team leader who occasionally played both doubles and singles. "Karti and Jeff were the two best captains I've had in my time here, and their leadership will be missed," said senior Jeff Wan.

Despite the losses, the team is excited about one of the most talented returning squads in recent memory. The team's top four singles players from a year ago will all be back. They are led by junior Zach Lerner, who made the third round of Nationals before losing to the eventual champion. Seniors Mike Mintz, Geoff Schwartz and Wan all played consistently in the second to fourth spots in the lineup. Before his injury, Biesecker played in third spot as a first-year, an impressive accomplishment. Also returning are Daniel Kim '10, who moved into the sixth singles spot near the end of the season, Tal Avrahami '08, one of the team's best doubles players who has made huge strides in his fitness level over the summer, and sophomores Scott London, Ben Krauss, Alex Kaufman and Dan Gonzales.

The team will also bring in another strong class of first-years. Tony Sheng, Sean Doerfler and Moritz Koenig are all expected to be strong contributors.

"I hit with them yesterday and they look talented," said Wan. "With their arrival and the return of my senior class, this should be our best year yet." Wan believes that Doerfler could even contend for a spot in the already crowded singles lineup. With Doerfler, Kim, Avrahami, Wan, Mintz, Schwartz, Lerner and Biesecker there will be eight players hoping for, and perhaps even expecting, one of only six available singles spots. Despite that fact, Wan does not expect any conflicts. "Every year making the starting lineup is competitive, but we keep in mind that we all have the same goal, which is to have the best lineup possible," he said.

In addition to the surplus of talent, the team is also very excited about new Head Coach Chris Garner. Garner comes as an assistant coach at Ohio State, and should know a thing or two about building a successful program. Garner himself was a very successful junior and professional tennis player. He has won 12 junior national titles, the second most of any player in U.S. history, despite competing against guys named Sampras, Agassi and Courier. In 1993 Garner advanced to the round of 16 at the Australian Open, one of tennis' four major championships. While interviewing for the coaching position, Garner amused the team by telling them that he once turned down Pete Sampras' request to be his doubles partner for an important tournament, because he was fearful that Sampras' new one-handed backhand would be ineffective. Hopefully, Garner will be able to use his own success and tremendous ability to guide the Jeffs past their competition. "He has amazing credentials. It's clear that he can run a great program," said Wan. "I expect him to bring superb recruiting and turn our already solid foundation into a power house team."

While there is considerable cause for optimism, the Jeffs will still face formidable competition. For years the NESCAC has been the most difficult conference in Div. III tennis. Middlebury, a perennial National Championship contender, finished last season ranked third in the country. Williams finished eighth, and Bowdoin College rounded out the top 10. Behind Amherst at 13th, three other NESCAC teams are also nationally ranked, giving the conference an astonishing seven nationally ranked squads.

To leap-frog Bowdoin, Williams and Middlebury to achieve a NESCAC Championship would require excellent tennis from every player on the roster. The team is especially hopeful that they will finally be able to end Williams' decade-old domination on the tennis courts. "It's my last year here so I really hope that happens," said Wan. "I would like nothing more than to end my time here with a win over our archrivals."

The team will begin its quest on Sept. 14 at the Cornell Fall Tournament.