The NCAA Championships-bound Emory University men's tennis team placed a total of six players to eight spots on the 2018 All-University Athletic Association Team. The Eagles saw two singles players bring home first-team recognition while two singles performers and a pair of doubles team earned second-team kudos. Voting was conducted by the league's eight head coaches.
After earning first-team acclaim at No. 2 singles the past two seasons, junior Jonathan Jemison (Marietta, GA), the No. 4-ranked singles player nationally (No. 2 in Atlantic South Region), garnered a first-team nod at No. 1. Jemison has manufactured an overall slate of 17-10 this year, which includes a title at the ITA South Region Championships. Jemison heads into next week's NCAA Championships in the No. 19 position on the school's all-time list with 71 singles victories.
Freshman Hayden Cassone (South Salem, NY) brought home first-team honors at No. 2 singles. Cassone has amassed an overall slate of 24-5 on the season with the win total a team high and good for 21st place on the Eagles' seasonal ladder. His most recent victory at No. 2 came this past weekend in the second round of the NCAA Regionals when he bested Mitchell Thomas of Washington and Lee, 6-1, 6-2.
Seniors Alec Josepher (Tampa, FL) and Andrew Harrington (Millersville, MD), two unsung yet vital members of the singles brigade, were second-team choices at Nos. 3 & 5, respectively. Josepher claims an overall record of 17-9 (13-7 in the spring), including a 10-2 performance at the three spot. Josepher, who at one point won seven straight singles decisions, provided Emory with its clinching point against North Carolina Wesleyan in the third round of the NCAA Championships this past weekend, topping JD Telles, 6-2, 6-1. Harrington has boosted the team's fortunes with an outstanding 19-3 singles record, which includes a 12-0 slate at No. 5. He rattled off 15 straight singles victories at one point including the team's clincher against Washington University in the semifinals of the UAA Championships, besting the Bears' Daniel Li, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
Senior Scott Rubinstein (Madison, CT) and junior James Spaulding (Winnetka, IL) snagged second-team recognition at first doubles. The duo has been in the win column on 19 occasions in 30 outings this season and stands 12-9 in the spring. The pair, ranked No. 4 in the Atlantic South Region, are two-time All-Americans and coming off a win over North Carolina Wesleyan in last weekend's third round of regional action.
Jemison and Cassone were second-team picks at third doubles, with the tandem joining forces to post an overall mark of 20-3, including a 16-2 showing in the spring (15-2 at No. 3).
Emory, 18-4 on the campaign and ranked No. 2 nationally, will match up against Williams on Monday, May 21, in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA D-III Championships. This year's Championships will be held in Claremont, Calif., and hosted by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.