WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College men's tennis team looks to bounce back and make progression this year in the PAC during the 2022-23 season. W&J will open its spring season Feb. 25 on the road against Penn State Behrend.   

2021-2022 Season Review: The Presidents finished the spring season competing in seven competition matches that were all PAC opponents.

W&J got off to a slow start dropping all of their first three matches getting shutout 9-0. This stretch included one away match at Franciscan and two home matches against Westminster and Grove City.  

W&J flipped a switch in the final match of their home stand though as they secured their first win against competitor Thiel, as they won 8-1. James Gunn (Beaver Falls, Pa. / Riverside) had an impressive victory at the No. 2 singles spot as he won 6-1, 6-2. William "Billy" Gunn (Beaver Falls, Pa./ Riverside) secured the victory for the Presidents with his win at No. 3 singles while Samuel Vessah (Chambersburg, Pa. / Chambersburg) claimed a 6-4, 6-3 victory at No. 4.

Joseph Panahandeh (Murrysville, Pa. / Greensburg Central Catholic) secured the victory for the Presidents with his win at No. 5 singles. He won in straight sets by scores of 6-1 and 6-1, while Nolan Rehrig (Jim Thorpe, Pa./ Jim Thorpe Area) finished off the singles wins for the Presidents with a win by forfeit. W&J also won all 3 of their doubles matches which was led by James Gunn and Jimmy Gunn with an 8-4 victory followed by Abhinav Yarramaneni and Samuel Vessah winning in a close bout, 8-7. Wrapping up the doubles victories was Joseph Panahandeh and Nolan Rehrig with a win by forfeit.

The Presidents then lost three straight to Saint Vincent (9-0), Geneva (8-1), and Waynesburg (7-2) to cap off the spring of 2022.

"It takes time to develop a team, it's not easy especially when a lot of players are ones that you haven't recruited," said Foster. "Majority of the team this year have been with me since their freshman year. It's much different this year and I think it shows, everything from moral, to on court and off court duties have changed. The guys have really done a good job with including each other from tennis to social activities, and even accountability. The culture seems good because they all the have same goal and support from each other."

Returners: The Presidents welcome back seven returners from last years team.

"All the guys on the team have shown great leadership qualities, I don't believe there is one person that can fill that position so it does get tricky. Having a majority of freshman on the team, I have been relying on Jackson Akers, Alex Duing, Ahbinav Yarramaneni and Nolan Rehrig as key leaders," stated Foster. "They have been doing a great job with communication and team moral. I feel that they have done a lot of team building activities on and off court which boosts inclusion and confidence. They are very supportive of each other and I believe that will play a big role getting back to the top of the PAC."

The Presidents have more shoes to fill after Jimmy and Billy Gunn both graduated. The Presidents do have a lot of underclassman filling out this roster as they look to revamp this team and look for some younger guys to make an impact.

"Jimmy Gunn and William "Billy" Gunn had grit, they were athletes first that learned tennis and hated to lose. The Gunn brothers to me had dedication and did everything they could to be the best out on the court, they gave it their all in every match," stated Foster. "They were fixtures up at the courts, willing to help with everything and anything. And what they did was passed on to the other guys and now the upperclassmen on the team are continuing the Gunn brother way. Luckily, Billy Gunn is our volunteer assistant, he will be helping with practices and matches. The guys are extremely happy to have him around and I think he's a great role model for the team."

The longest tenured player on the team is Senior Jacob Black (McKees Rocks, Pa. / Montour) as he looks to be the only senior on the roster this season. In the 2019-20 season he was on the PAC Spring Academic Honor Roll and in the 2020-21 season he again made it onto the PAC Academic Honor Roll.

Juniors Tyee McMaster (Waynesburg, Pa./ Waynesburg Central) and Nolan Rehrig (Jim Thorpe, Pa. / Jim Thorpe Area) return for their third seasons for W&J. Rehrig was a respectable singles and doubles player in 2021-22 as he posted a 3-8 total singles record (No. 4-6) and a 3-9 total doubles record (No. 2-3).

First-year starter Abhinav Yarramaneni (Mountain View, Calif./Los Altos) had a hard fought first year in black and red. he played in 11 matches losing all but played high in singles for the Presidents. He also was earned a spot on the Second Team Singles All-PAC Men's Tennis Team after his gritty performances in his first year.

"That was a lot of pressure last year for him, he and the other players had a lot of strong opponents to go up against," said Foster. "Now with the depth we have on the team, it gives us more options and allows for less pressure on him and other players like Nolan Rehrig and Tyee McMaster. It gives Ahbi and the rest of the team a better playing field and opponents of same caliber to compete against, hence more comfort on the court and patience with their shot selection."

Joey Ioli (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Upper Saint Clair) will also be returning to the Red & Black for his junior season this spring. Ioli wll look to be another pivotal piece for the Presidents when it comes to guiding these incoming freshman as they will look to adjust to the collegiate scene quickly.

Newcomers: W&J welcomes five freshmen and three upperclassman newcomers in 2022. The freshman and newcomers will look to enter their first season in Red & Black with poise as most of the new arrivals posted top records coupled with team and individual championships at the high school level.

"They are all eager and ready to compete! The guys have been playing for such a long time that its just natural when spring comes around they get pumped up to compete. I'm super excited to watch them all grow over the next couple of years mentally, physically and on a maturity level," stated Foster.  "I think this is where they will figure out what type of player they are and how they want to evolve as an athlete on the courts. I'm excited for them because they're very supportive of each other and that to me makes a big difference."

Name                    Class                 Hometown / High School
Jackson Akers       Freshman         Logan, W. Va. / Logan
Nate Clarke           Freshman         Valley / New Kensington, Pa. 
Alex Duing            Freshman         South Park / Pittsburgh, Pa.
Mitch Kenney        Freshman         Norwin / Pittsburgh, Pa.
Connor Simms      Freshman         Canonsburg, Pa. / Canon McMillan
Arya Pandit           Sophomore       Canonsburg, Pa. / Canon McMillan
Aiden Reams        Sophomore       Claysville, Pa. / McGuffey
Jaren Thimons      Sophomore       Valencia, Pa. / North Catholic

Coaching Staff: Megan Foster enters her third season as the head tennis coach at W&J.Foster has led the W&J women's tennis program to the PAC Tournament Championship match two years in a row. On the men's side she also helped W&J alumni Nate Wang and Sam Bellini in their senior seasons receive All-PAC First Team status in singles and All-PAC Second Team honors in doubles which was also her first season as head coach for the presidents. 

Before her time at W&J, Foster had served as a tennis teaching professional for the past three decades, which includes significant coaching experience at the high school level. Right before she joined the Presidents she served as the head tennis coach at nearby Mt. Lebanon High School. She has also served on USTA committees and councils since 2014 and holds PTR, USTA, Cardio Tennis Professional and 10 & under certifications.

Coach Foster was also recently honored with a Community Service Award by the United States Tennis Association (USTA)/Professional Tennis Registry (PTR). The Community Service Award is awarded to a member who has demonstrated exceptional skill and loyalty in his/her efforts to support and implement programs of PTR, USTA, and TIU.
 
Looking at the Schedule: The Presidents are scheduled to played an 11 match spring schedule with three of these matches being non-conference bouts. W&J will open its spring season Feb. 25 on the road against Penn State Behrend. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m.

"The guys now have a good idea of what to expect this season, they are eager to get started and compete. The fall gave them a good sense of what collegiate tennis is all about. They are now mindful of their game, I'm interested to see how they do this time under pressure. I've noticed at practice they are more united as a team and worked out some of the first semester kinks," stated Foster. "I hope they really focus on being more patient and understand that the matches are not a race or who has more power on the court. Over the next couple of months, I'd like to see them develop a stronger tennis IQ with both singles and doubles, being more tactical than technical. They all know what they need to do and have all the tools to do it, now they just have to apply it on the court."

Last Word: "This is going to be an exciting and positive season for the guys, as long as they stay focused and healthy," said Foster. "There's a lot of good competition in the PAC and the bar has risen and I'm looking forward to all the upcoming matches. I can't wait to see them compete against the other PAC colleges because I truly believe that they all have it in them to be successful this season as long as they stay positive and aggressive on the court."