The 2011-12 edition of the Emory men’s tennis team enjoyed a year to remember with the squad hammering out a number of outstanding accomplishments, highlighted by an intense and emotional charge to the program’s third-ever national title.  The Eagles of head coach John Browning finished with a perfect 25-0 won-lost ledger, the first perfect season in school annals as they joined the 2003 and 2006 teams in the exclusive club of bringing home the national crown back to Atlanta.  Emory totaled a 14-0 slate against nationally-ranked D-III foes.

Besides the national title, Emory turned in a number of other noteworthy achievements, capturing its third straight and 22^nd University Athletic Association Championship in the past 23 years.  The Eagles were dominant en route to copping the league crown, dismantling Rochester, 9-0, and No. 21 Case Western, 8-1, in their first two matches before defeating No. 17 Washington University, 8-1, in the title match.  Emory saw all six of its six singles players bring home First Team All-UAA honors while the No. 3 doubles team also garnered first-team acclaim.  In addition, Emory won its second straight ITA National Indoor Championship, defeating host Gustavus Adolphus  in the opening round before upended No. 7 Kenyon College, 8-1, in the semifinals and No. 6 UC-Santa Cruz, 7-2, in the title showdown.

Using an interesting singles lineup that was comprised of seniors Dillon Pottish and Chris Goodwin at Nos. 1 & 2, respectively, and four talented freshmen, the Eagles went through the regular season of the spring schedule in a methodical and lethal manner,  losing only three matches one occasion, that coming against Gustavus at the National Indoor Championships. 

Emory was selected to host the first-, second- and third-rounds of the NCAA D-III Tournament and it made the most that opportunity, bettering No. 20 Washington & Lee, 5-0, in a second-round affair before toppling No. 19 North Carolina Wesleyan, 5-1, the following day with the decision over the Battling Bishops propelling it into the championship round of the national tournament. 

Once Emory got to the round of the final eight teams vying for the coveted national title, each match was a grueling, nail-biting affair with significant and often nerve-wracking momentum swings.  Facing No. 13 Johns Hopkins in the quarterfinals, a team that it had handled earlier in the campaign by a 7-2 count, the Eagles enjoyed a 3-1 lead following senior Dillon Pottish’s straight-set win at first singles.  However, the Blue Jays countered by coming away with victories at Nos. 2 & 3 to even things up at 3-3.  A triumph by freshman Brian Kowalski at No. 4 singles pushed Emory ahead by a 4-3 margin, but JHU deadlocked the match following a decision at No. 6.  The outcome was finally decided at No. 5 when freshman Eric Halpern scrapped his way to a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Warren Elgort, rallying from a 0-3 deficit in the deciding set.

Following the escape against Johns Hopkins, a semifinal test against No. 3-ranked Williams awaited coach  Browning and his crew.  Things looked good early for Emory as the squad bolted out to what seemed to be a comfortable 4-1 advantage.  A highlight during the early portion of that encounter came at No. 2 doubles when freshman Ian Wagner and junior Elliott Kahler clawed their way back from 2-5 hole to earn an 8-6 verdict.  Williams then mounted an impressive comeback bid with three straight singles wins that tied the battle at 4-4.  One of the Ephs’ wins came at No. 1 singles when Pottish withdrew after suffering severe cramps caused by the heat.  Pottish’s condition was so dire that he had to be taken to the hospital for evaluation.   With Emory’s season in the balance, Wagner kept the dream alive with a three-set tug-of-war win over Matt Micheli, 6-7, 6-2, 7-5 at No. 3 singles.

While the win over Williams sent Emory into the national finals against No. 4 Kenyon, a team that it had defeated twice earlier during the year, Emory faced some questions.  With injuries already limiting the effectiveness of Chris Goodwin, the Eagles weren’t sure of the condition of Pottish following his retirement in the Williams match. 

After filling up with fluids overnight Pottish was back on the courts for the Kenyon clash, however, the Lords jumped out to a 2-0 lead following their victories at Nos. 2 & 1 doubles, respectively.  Facing a potential 0-3 obstacle, Pottish and Kowalski provided a crucial point at third doubles with a 9-8 (8-6) win over Paul Burgin and Kevin Ye, battling back from a 4-6 deficit in the breaker.  Buoyed by the inspired play of the No. 3 tandem, the Eagles knotted the battle at 2-2 after Wagner registered a win at No. 3 singles.  Kenyon won the No. 2 singles bout while Emory answered with a triumph at No. 6.  A little more than three and one-half hours into the match, Emory took its first lead when Kowalski earned a three-set win at No. 4 singles.  With Pottish engaged in a three-set clash against Burgin, it was eventually Halpern at No. 5 who clinched the match and the national crown with a 7-5, 7-5 win against Tim Rosensteel.

Following the team title, Pottish turned his attention to the singles portion of the Championships where he looked to bring home the first-place trophy after finishing runner-up to Goodwin in 2011.  Goodwin was also selected to compete but a myriad of injuries contributed to his decision to withdraw.  Pottish rose to the challenge and became the third men’s player in school annals to capture the singles crown.  After rattling off four straight-set victories including a 6-1, 6-0, decision over Rob Crampton of Bates College in the semifinals, Pottish faced Nick Ballou of Cal Lutheran in the finals and recorded a 6-2, 1-6, 6-2 triumph, closing out his season singles record at 34-3.

Pottish’s march to the singles title was a fitting conclusion to an outstanding three-year career with the program with his 97 singles victories ranking third all-time at the school while his 87.4 winning percentage (97-14) was good for the top spot.  He became the first player in school history to capture UAA MVP honors on three occasions and he was also chosen by the ITA as the National Senior Player of the Year.  During the fall portion of the schedule, he won his third straight ITA Regional singles title sending him to the ITA National Small College Championships where he defended his D-III crown with a 6-0, 6-1, decision over Adam Putterman of Washington University in the title bout. An accomplished doubles performer as well, his 75 triumphs in that category represented the sixth-highest total on the Eagles’ all-time chart.

Despite being hampered by injuries during the spring portion of the schedule,  Goodwin managed to compile an overall singles mark of 17-5 (12-4 dual).   He closed out a brilliant four-year career in the No. 1 spot on the school's all-time list with 100 singles victories with his .806 winning percentage (100-24) in singles action ranking fifth on Emory's all-time list.  In addition, he closed out his collegiate tenure as the Eagles’ all-time leader with 95 triumphs in doubles play.  During the 2011-12 season, Goodwin finished 15-7 in doubles action, 10-5 at the No. 1 spot where he teamed with classmate Will Humphreys.

 The freshman quartet of Ian Wagner, Brian Kowalski, Eric Halpern and Alex Ruderman had a huge impact on the fortunes of the team during the ’11-12 campaign with the four combining for a glittering overall mark of 92-14 in singles action (78-10 dual).  Each member of the group captured First Team All-UAA honors with Wagner (#45) and Kowalski (#50) being ranked among the top 50 D-III singles players in the country at the end of the year.

Will Humphreys was the third senior on the squad who completed out his collegiate career, closing out the campaign with a 21-8 doubles record.  The Joplin, Mo., native recorded a total of 62 doubles wins during his stint with the program, good for 15^th place on the school’s all-time list.

Honors and Awards