Season Review: Men’s Tennis caps 2022-23 with OAC titles, NCAA Tournament appearance for second straight season

By Wes Mayberry 

ADA —The Ohio Northern men's tennis team had a wildly successful 2022-23 season capped by Ohio Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles and a berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Led by first-year head coach Sean Swisher, the Polar Bears went 13-8 overall for their sixth straight winning season and were 5-1 in OAC play to finish in a three-way tie with Otterbein and John Carroll atop the standings, marking their second straight OAC Regular Season championship. As the No. 2 seed, Northern defeated top-seeded Otterbein 5-2 in the tournament finals for its second consecutive OAC Tournament title and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Polar Bears now have nine OAC regular-season titles, 12 OAC Tournament championships and nine NCAA Tournament appearances.

ONU traveled to Case Western Reserve and faced Kalamazoo (Mich.) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. In what was a thrilling match, the teams played to a 4-4 score before Kalamazoo claimed the victory with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 decision at No. 1 singles.

"We played a tough schedule this year to prepare us for the OAC Tournament, and it paid off," Swisher said. "I think we played our best tennis of the year at the OAC Tournament and against Kalamazoo. Our guys really stepped up, and everybody left everything they had out there on the court."

After the season, Swisher was named OAC Coach of the Year, and five Polar Bears earned All-OAC recognition. Sophomore Tristan Munteanu (Draper, Utah/Corner Canyon) led the way as an All-OAC First Team selection. Sophomores Sam Sran (Punjab, India/St. Stephens and Gian Jyoti Global) and Peyton Specht (Munster, Ind.) and junior Kavya Desai (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) were Second Team honorees, and sophomore Drew Swisher (Findlay) earned Honorable Mention accolades.

After earning All-OAC Second Team honors in 2022, Munteanu finished 2023 with a record of 30-20, including 13-13 in singles play and 17-7 in doubles, and earned OAC Player of the Week recognition on March 6. He led the Polar Bears in overall wins and doubles victories playing exclusively at No. 1 singles and primarily at No. 3 doubles. In two years at ONU, Munteanu is 42-31 overall, including 24-20 in singles and 18-11 in doubles.

"Tristan is a quiet leader and one who leads by example. He's one who would hit tennis balls 12 hours a day if you let him. He loves the sport and works extremely hard at his craft," Swisher said. "Playing the No. 1 position is never easy, but Tristan handled it well and did a great job for us this year."

Sran and Specht are now two-time All-OAC Second Team honorees.

Sran was 17-8 in singles and 12-13 in doubles for an overall mark of 29-21 this season. He played primarily at No. 3 singles and exclusively at No. 1 doubles. In his ONU career, Sran is 54-31 overall, including 39-15 in singles and 15-16 in doubles.

"Sam is a tennis fanatic," Swisher said. "He had some good signature wins for us throughout the year and did a great job for us."

Specht earned OAC Player of the Week honors on Feb. 27 and closed the year with an overall mark of 27-22, including 15-10 in singles and 12-12 in doubles. He played primarily at No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles. Specht is 62-35 in his ONU career, including 35-14 in singles and 27-21 in doubles.

"Peyton is the only lefthander on our roster, so he was a hard matchup for opponents at times. He did a great job for us in both singles and doubles," Swisher said. "For two years in a row, he has been the one to clinch the OAC title for us, so he's been called 'Captain Clinch.' He came up clutch for us when we needed it."

An Honorable Mention selection as a freshman in 2021, Desai finished the season with an overall record of 29-12, including 15-7 in singles and 14-5 in doubles. He played primarily at No. 4 singles and No. 3 doubles. In three seasons at ONU, Desai is 40-17 overall, including 22-11 in singles and 18-6 in doubles.

"Kavya is a hard worker and has experienced a lot of improvement," Swisher said. "He did a great job for us in the middle of the lineup."

Swisher finished the year with an overall record of 29-19, including 16-7 in singles and 13-12 in doubles. He played primarily at No. 5 singles and No. 2 doubles. Swisher is 62-28 overall in his ONU career, including 27-11 in singles and 35-17 in doubles.

"Drew did a great job for us this year and was 4-0 at the OAC Tournament. That second doubles point from him and Peyton against Otterbein in the championship match really gave us momentum going into singles," Swisher said. "Drew plays a little different style from the other guys, and it can really frustrate opponents at the Nos. 5 or 6 spots."

Freshman Nico Rogel (Alicante, Spain/Hoosac) was another significant contributor this season, going 20-5 in singles and 9-3 in doubles for an overall mark of 29-8.

"Nico did a great job anchoring the No. 6 spot for us this year. He is arguably one of the most talented guys on our team in terms of shot-making, and he accepted his role at No. 6 and had a lot of success in that spot."

That group, combined with junior Isaac Spar (Ada) and freshmen Aaron Davis (Tipp City/Tippecanoe) and T.J. Schultz (Grand Blanc, Mich.), posted a combined 106-61 record in singles play and 47-33 mark in doubles for an overall winning percentage of .619 on the season.

Off the court, the Polar Bears earned recognition for their success in the classroom. Munteanu, Specht, Sran and Swisher were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team and were joined by Spar as Academic All-OAC honorees.

Ohio Northern was selected as an ITA All-Academic Team, and Spar, Sran and Swisher earned ITA Scholar Athlete honors.

Looking ahead, the Polar Bears have their sights set on winning yet another conference championship in 2023-24.

"We return pretty much our entire team, and we have three incoming freshmen who will push to be in the lineup, so next season should be great," Swisher said. "We're going to have 10 or 11 guys who will all be pushing one another, so I expect us continue this tradition of competing for OAC titles and maybe make a deeper run in the NCAA Tournament next season."