Freshman (2017-18): Played a key role in both the singles and doubles lineup ... Earned All-America honors after winning his opening match at the NCAA D-III Singles Championships, posting a 7-5, 6-2, verdict over Wesleyan's (CT) Andrew Finkelman ... Named the ITA South Atlantic Region Rookie of the Year ... First Team All-UAA at No. 2 singles ... Second Team All-UAA with Jonathan Jemison at No. 3 doubles ... Ended the year as the No. 24-ranked singles player in D-III and was No. 4 in the South Atlantic Region ... Compiled a final overall singles ledger of 26-7, with his victory total leading the squad and tying for 14th place on the program's seasonal ladder ... Registered 27 doubles victories, tying the school's fifth-highest seasonal mark ... 17-4 slate in singles action during the dual portion of the schedule, 10-4 at the No. 2 spot ... He and Jemison rang up an overall doubles record of 20-3, including a 16-2 effort in the spring (15-2 at No. 3) ... Paired with Andrew Harrington at third doubles with the pair going 5-0 over the team's last five matches ... Named UAA Co-Player of the Week (Feb. 27) after helping the Eagles to their third straight ITA National Indoor Championship, going 3-0 at No. 4 singles and 2-1 at third doubles ... Won the final and deciding point in the ITA Indoor semifinals vs. No. 9 Chicago, coming away with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, decision over Jeremy Yuan ... Against No. 2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the ITA Indoor finals, he and Jemison accounted for the team's lone point in doubles while earning Emory's first point in singles, a 6-3, 6-2 outcome over Daniel Park that began an Eagle comeback from a 1-4 deficit to an eventual 5-4 win ... Moved into the No. 1 singles position in the UAA Championship showdown vs. No. 7 Chicago and responded with a 0-6, 7-5, 7-6, triumph over Erik Kerrigan, who ended the year as the No. 26-ranked D-III player nationally -- earlier in that match he and Harrington rolled to an 8-2 win over Nicolas Chua and Bobby Bethke ... Won his first four singles matches and advanced to the semifinals of the ITA South Region Championships ... 9-8 triumph with Harrington gave Emory a 3-0 edge, and he clinched the match with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, victory vs. Austin Bard at No. 2 singles in Emory's 5-0 decision vs. No. 4 Williams in the quarterfinals of the NCAA D-III Championships ... Won at third doubles and his 6-1, 6-2 verdict against Mitchell Thomas at second singles put the Eagles one point from clinching their NCAA Tournament second-round match vs. Washington and Lee ... Posted a 3-0 slate at third doubles and 2-1 in singles at the UAA Championships ... Helped Emory to an 8-1 win vs. No. 7 Amherst, teaming with Jemison for an 8-0 victory at No. 3 doubles before winning, 6-4, 6-4 at second singles over Kevin Ma ... Won his opening four matches and advanced to the singles final at the Grizzly Open.
High School:
Three-year member of the tennis program at John Jay High School ... Was coached by Rob Labriola ... Ranked in the top 50 nationally by the Tennis Recruiting Network ... No. 6-ranked player in New York and No. 10 in the Middle Atlantic Region ... Runner-up in the Section 1 singles championship ... Registered a third-place finish at the 2017 New York Boys State Championship ... Journal News Weschester/Putnam First Team ... Played his way to all-state honors ... Scholar Athlete.
Personal:
Son of Victor Cassone and Stephanie ... Born October 27.
Quote:
"I chose Emory because of the great combination of academics and tennis. Plus, the city of Atlanta is a great place to be."
