The Saint Leo University men’s and women’s Tennis teams have been quietly dominating the NCAA Division 2 world. With both teams sitting at 18-1 as of April 18, the teams are poised for a run at the national championships.
The men’s team is ranked number two in the nation as of the latest ITA Division 2 Men’s College Tennis poll, from March 23. They have two contests left until the Sunshine State Conference Championships, an April 19 game against number six Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and hosting Palm Beach Atlantic University on April 23. Having already clinched the Sunshine State Conference regular season championship, the team is laser focused on winning more than that.
“We all know what the final goal is,” Senior Alex Theiler told saintleolions.com. “We are happy while we do well along each step, but we know that a season is not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. All these extra motivations are good to keep us going in the right direction and hopefully at the end of the season we can celebrate something really big. But for now, I would like to say point by point.”
It has been an impressive season for the Lions for another reason as well, as two of the last three national champions have been from the Sunshine State Conference.
“We have some of the top teams in the country in our conference,” Head Coach Chris Frusci said to saintleolions.com. “We are getting good competition day in and out, so I believe we are at an advantage in that sense. We know how to handle pressure and we know how to compete against good tennis. We also know that what we’ve done up until now is just step one towards the ultimate goal. Pretty soon ‘it’s win or go home’ time which is an equalizer for everyone.”
The women have been equally as impressive. Sitting at number three in the country from the ITA Division 2 Men’s College Tennis poll, from March 23, the Lady Lions clinched their first Sunshine State Conference regular season championship in school history. Frusci, who coaches both the men and the women, feels that this is going to be a big boost to the team.
“I think this is a great accomplishment for our programs, given that it was the first time ever,” Head Coach Frusci told saintleolions.com. “It obviously gives us confidence that if we can make it out of the strongest conference in the country, then we have the potential to do great things. We will have to see some of these teams two more times just to qualify for nationals, but obviously we have displayed what we’re capable of.”
The women’s team has the same remaining schedule as the men’s team, but the Embry-Riddle women’s team is not ranked in the top 25.
While both teams are succeeding on the team level, individuals for both sides are earning accolades as well. Freshman Alberto Barrosso-Campos is the third ranked singles player in the country, and Senior Egor Panyushkin joins him in the top 15 in the men’s singles rankings. Freshman Natalia Siedliska is ranked second overall for women’s singles, joined by fellow Freshman Isabella Robbiani who ranked 16 overall. In doubles contests, Senior Alex Thieler joins Barrosso-Campos to form the number two ranked men’s pairing in the nation, while Siedliska and Junior Anastasia Wagner form the ninth ranked women’s pair.
With the highly talented freshmen paired up with the experienced upperclassmen, the postseason should be highly prosperous for both the men and women this summer.
