Guilford Lands Three on All-ODAC Men's Tennis Team

Greensboro, N.C. (5/10/07) -- Guilford College placed three students on the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's (ODAC) Second Team All-ODAC Men's Tennis squad, league officials announced Thursday. Juniors Jose Ortiz and Caleb Kimbrough joined rookie Will Mason-Deese as Guilford's honorees. The Quakers also received the ODAC's Sportsmanship Award. The conference's head men's tennis coaches determined the annual postseason honors.

 

Ortiz was honored for his play at first singles, where he posted a 5-8 record, 3-4 in league matches. Including tournament play, he had a 6-9 overall mark. One of his best wins was a 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 triumph over fellow Second Team All-ODAC pick Brian Remsch of Bridgewater. Ortiz also played first doubles for the Quakers and recorded an 8-11 record, 5-4 in league play. His combined (singles and doubles) record this year was 14-20, 8-8 in the ODAC.

Kimbrough joined the team in mid-March after helping the Quakers' men's basketball team to the NCAA Division III quarterfinals. Despite the late start, he jumped right into the lineup at second singles where he went 8-2 en route to his second career All-ODAC commendation. After dropping his first match, Kimbrough reeled off eight straight wins before falling to Jon Malooly of league champion Washington and Lee Apr. 14. Kimbrough won six of seven league matches. He teamed with Ryo Kawai (Suginami-ku, Japan/Kosei Gakuen) at second doubles and compiled a 7-4 record (5-2 ODAC) for a 15-6 combined mark. Kimbrough was a First Team All-ODAC pick in 2005 after winning the league's third-singles individual title.

The lone rookie among Second Team All-ODAC singles picks, Mason-Deese forged a 6-9 overall singles mark, 5-3 at fourth singles. He played second singles until Kimbrough joined the team in March. Mason-Deese won six of nine matches after the change, including six straight at one point. With teammate Mike Muir (Alexandria, Va./Mt. Vernon), Mason-Deese posted a team-best 9-5 doubles record, including a 7-2 record at third doubles. Including tournament play, he was 10-6 in doubles and had a 16-15 combined record, the most wins among the team's three freshmen.

The trio helped first-year coach Bert Poole's Quakers to a 9-7 overall record, 5-4 in the ODAC. After an 0-11 2006 campaign, the Quakers recorded their most wins since 1998 and reached the ODAC Tournament quarterfinals in the first year of the league's new team championship format. With no seniors on the roster, Poole expects all eight letter winners back for the 2007-08 season.