For the 23rd consecutive season, the Emory University men's tennis team advanced to the national quarterfinals.
The Eagles won the most matches in a season post-COVID, going 18-6 overall, as they reached the final site once again. A deepened lineup saw the team secure a fifth-place finish at the ITA National Indoor Championships at the end of February as well as a third-place showing at the UAA Championships in April.
With an at-large bid safely secured with its 5-0 win over Chicago in the UAA third place match, the Eagles headed on the road for the opening rounds. Emory earned the top-seed in the five-team pod at NC Wesleyan in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Following a first round bye, Emory easily took care of business against Drew University, 5-0, setting up a meeting with the host Battling Bishops in the regional final.
Once again the regional championship was a thriller for the Eagles as they escaped an upset from NCW by a 5-4 count. Junior Nolan Shah scored the clincher as he won the final three games of his third set for the match clincher.
In Orlando, the Eagles went up against Tufts University in the first match at the USTA National Campus. The Jumbos, who went on to play in the national championship match, went ahead early with a doubles sweep before earning the 5-2 result.
Following the NCAA team championships, the Eagles were well represented at the NCAA Individual Championships with two players in the singles draw and one team in the doubles competition. In singles, Shah reached the round of 16 while senior Andrew Esses closed out his outstanding Eagles career with an appearance in the round of 32. For doubles, the top Emory team all season in Ryan Glanville and Charlie James went on to reach the national quarterfinals before falling to the eventual national champions from CWRU.
With their win in the opening round, James and Glanville captured All-America honors as they were two of four Eagles to be honored by the ITA in 2022-23. Shah earned All-America acclaim in both singles and doubles by virtue of his regional titles in the fall, winning the singles crown and teaming with freshman John Lasanajak to win the doubles bracket.
The All-America honors were among several awards for Shah during his junior campaign as he earned All-UAA Honorable Mention kudos in doubles and was tabbed to the CSC Academic All-America Third Team.
Shah was one of seven Eagles to land on the All-UAA Team following the conference championships in Florida. Dean Kamenev collected one of the big league awards with Rookie of the Year honors while Esses, James and Glanville earned spots on the First Team.
At the conclusion of the season, Shah led the Eagles in the ITA national rankings as he checked in at No. 14 in singles while Esses slotted in at No. 25 and Kamenev at No. 35. For doubles, James & Glanville finished the year No. 8 nationally. In the final regional rankings, Shah (#4), Esses (#7) and Kamenev (#9) all were in the top-10 in singles with the doubles tandems of Glanville/James (#4) and Esses/Lasanajak (#15) inside the top-15.
The Eagles earned the following honors during the 2022-23 season:
NCAA Division III Championships Participant |
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Singles (Round of 16) |
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Singles (Round of 32) |
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Doubles (Quarterfinals) |
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All-America (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) |
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Singles & Doubles |
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Doubles |
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Doubles |
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Doubles |
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CSC Academic All-America |
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First Team |
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ITA South Region Champion |
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Singles & Doubles |
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Doubles |
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University Athletic Association Rookie of the Year |
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All-University Athletic Association |
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First Team (No. 1 Singles) |
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First Team (No. 1 Doubles); Second Team (No. 4 Singles) |
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First Team (No. 1 Doubles) |
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Second Team (No. 3 Singles) |
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Honorable Mention (No. 5 Singles) |
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Honorable Mention (No. 3 Doubles) |
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UAA Athlete of the Week |
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Oct. 10 |
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Oct. 10 |
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Feb. 20 |
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March 20 |