The Queens College Men’s Tennis team fell to NYIT 5-0 in the East Conference championship game on Apr 25.
The loss concluded the season for the Knights, who ended their season with an overall record of 13-6, including defending home court advantage with a 9-3 home record.
This season saw a change of leadership as Coach Somadi Druker took over for former coach Patrick Letson. During her first season as coach, Druker lead the team to an impressive eight back-to-back victories before their loss to NYIT. Her peers named her the ECC Coach of the Year.
“We were lacking a little depth in singles but despite that the team played well,” coach Druker said.
Coach Druker also found success when she was a player for the Knights. As a student she was one of the Knight’s top singles and doubles players and had two consecutive NCAA II Division appearances. Her drive to win pushed the men’s tennis team to new heights.
Along with the strong team performance, athletes Sophomore Miguel Bendito and Junior Ryan had an incredible season. Frankel posted a 9-1 and an 11-2 overall record in singles respectively.
Frankel, born in Bourenmouth, England, earned ECC Player of the Week and a spot on the All ECC Second Team. He was joined by teammates Sophomores Sharvill Nawghare and Federico Toscano.
Along with these accomplishments, Frankel finished with an impressive 13-1 doubles mark, an area in which the Queens College Men struggled with this season.
“Doubles has been tough spot for us and we could definitely improve on it if the season continues for us and we are asked to be part of the NCAA tournament or for next season in general,” Bendito said. “We want to do the best we possibly can and win.”
The team received an invite to the NCAA East Regional Tournament. The team tried to leave the grueling match to NYIT in the past and drew their attention to the match up against Chestnut Hill on May 2. The Knights fell 5-2.
Despite the loss they aren’t ready to call it quits just yet. They will shift gears to next season and hope to use the individual success as motivation to bring home the ECC victory for QC.
