April 30, 2006

CHESTERTOWN, MD: The Washington College men's tennis team, ranked 14th in Division III and third in the Atlantic South region, won their 12th Centennial Conference Championship in the 13 years of the conference's existence with a 6-1 victory over visiting Johns Hopkins University in the conference championship match today at Schottland Tennis Center.

Washington seniors Mike Edison and Maciek Prytula won the first doubles match to finish, besting junior Nick Kennedy (Tucson, AZ/Deerfield Academy) and sophomore Rafi Roberti (Summit, NJ/Summit), 8-3, at second doubles. Freshmen Anantha Bhaskar and Rafael Roldan clinched the doubles point for Washington with a 9-7 victory over sophomore Kevin Ma (Parkville, MO/Park Hill South) and sophomore Matt Naftilan (Nashville, TN/Montgomery Bell Academy) at third doubles. Junior Arturo Solis and senior Tim Riskie, the fourth-ranked tandem in the Atlantic South, made it a doubles sweep with a 9-7 victory against No. 8 sophomore Joe Vasoontara (Bangok, Thailand/Loomis Chaffee) and junior Hillen Smith (Baltimore, MD/Boys Latin) at first doubles.

Prytula extended the lead to 2-0 with a quick 6-0, 6-2, win over Naftilan at fifth singles. Roldan pushed the advantage to 3-0 with a 6-4, 6-2, victory against Michael Kelly-Sell at sixth singles. Solis, the top-ranked singles player in the region, clinched the championship for the Shoremen with a 6-2, 6-2, win over Vasoontara, ranked 19th in the region, at first singles. Edison added a 7-5, 6-1, win against Ma at fourth singles for Washington before Roberti got Hopkins (11-8) on the board with a 6-4, 4-6, 10-3 win against Bhaskar at third singles. Riskie finished things off with a 6-7(8), 6-2, 10-7 victory against Smith at second singles.

Washington won the first 11 Centennial Conference Championships before Johns Hopkins took home the trophy last season.