Shepherd College Athletics

SHEPHERD PLACES SECOND AT WVIAC TOURNAMENT

Courtesy of Will Prewitt - WVIAC

CHARLESTON, WV -- West Liberty State placed finalists in seven of nine flights as the Toppers nudged Shepherd 28-26 at the 2004 WVIAC Men's Tennis Championship. The victory earns West Liberty a bid to next month's NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region Tournament and ends Shepherd's two-year reign atop the West Virginia Conference.

Salem International's Dan Palcu earned the nod as the WVIAC Player of the Year following his championship at #1 singles. Palcu, the second seed in the flight, knocked off West Liberty's James Denmark in the finals 6-0, 6-2. Denmark reached the finals with a three-set upset of top-seeded and previously unbeaten Adam Flintoff of Charleston. Palcu nudged 2003 Player of the Year Mark O'Neill (Concord) in his semifinal victory.

Shepherd notched four individual or doubles champions. Mike Farrell (Ijamsville, MD/Peary HS) was a repeat winner at #4 singles and Wray Sherman (Staunton, VA/Rockbridge HS) triumphed at #5 singles. The Rams claimed two of the three doubles crowns. The duo of Brian Clarke (Hedgesville, WV/Hedgesville HS) and Tim Halter (New Market, MD/Linganore, MD) prevailed at #1 doubles and Farrell teamed with David Seifarth (Hagerstown, MD/Smithsburg HS) for a win at #3 doubles.

West Liberty triumphed at #3 and #6 singles. R.D. Bolyard claimed the #3 singles title with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Neal Saluja of West Virginia Wesleyan. Justin Thomas earned the championship in #6 singles by virtue of a 6-2, 7-6 win versus Shepherd's Eric Stevenson (Harpers Ferry, WV/Northwest (MD) HS).

Saturday's most dramatic match involved #2 singles where Charleston¹s Michael Marie gutted out a gritty three-set win over Concord's Andy Sarver. Marie, the lowest seed to win a flight as a #4, overcame problems with cramps in a 6-0, 4-6, 6-4 win. Sarver, a Bluefield native, battled his own physical ailments with an injured thumb.

Team Results:

West Liberty State 28

Shepherd 26

Charleston 16

WV Wesleyan 16

Concord 14

Salem International 7

Fairmont State 5

Bluefield State 5

Davis & Elkins 3

WV State 0

WVU Tech 0

Individual Results

#1 SINGLES:

1st Round:

Tim Halter (SC) d. Matt Kuzdub (D&E) 6-4, 6-1

Jeremy Turner (BSC) d. Jeff Thomas (WVSC) 6-3, 7-6

Brandon Summers (WVW) d. Justin Foreman (Tech) fft.

Quarterfinals:

#1 Adam Flintoff (UC) d. Halter (SC) 7-5, 6-4

#4 James Denmark (WL) d. David Marquette (FSC) 6-1, 6-2

#3 Mark O¹Neill (CC) d. Turner (BSC) 6-0, 6-0

#2 Dan Palcu (SIU) d. Simmons (WVWC) 6-0, 6-1

Semifinals:

Denmark (WL) d. Flintoff (UC) 3-6, 7-5, 6-0

Palcu (SIU) d. O¹Neill (CC) 6-3, 5-7, 6-3

Championship:

Palcu (SIU) d. Denmark (WL) 6-0, 6-2

#2 SINGLES:

1st Round:

Tochukuwu George (D&E) d. Daniel Durrani (Tech) fft.

Sladjam Radic (SIU) d. Clark Campbell (WVWC) 6-3, 6-3

Justin Layfield (FSC) d. Mark Spriggs (WVSC) 7-6, 6-3

Quarterfinals:

#1 Dan Riske (WL) d. George (D&E) 6-0, 6-0

#4 Michael Marie (UC) d. Radic (SIU) 6-2, 6-3

#3 Brian Clarke (SC) d. Layfield (FSC) 6-0, 6-1

#2 Andy Sarver (CC) d. Brandon Morehead (BSC) 6-0, 6-2

Semifinals:

Marie (UC) d. Riske (WL) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3

Sarver (CC) d. Clarke (SC) 7-5, 6-3

Championship:

Marie (UC) d. Sarver (CC) 6-0, 4-6, 6-4

#3 SINGLES:

1st Round:

Jesse Simon (FSC) d. Niguset Getachew (Tech) 6-0, 6-2

B.J. Cline (BSC) d. Wes Withrow (D&E) 6-2, 6-3

Jesse Saunders (CC) d. Justin Fleegle (SIU) 6-0, 6-0

Quarterfinals:

#1 R.D. Bolyard (WL) d. Simon (FSC) 6-0, 6-2

#4 Justin Leadman (UC) d. Cline (BSC) 6-2, 6-3

#3 Neal Saluja (WVWC) d. Saunders (CC) 6-0, 6-0

#2 David Seifarth (SC) d. Curtis Collins (WVSC) 6-0, 6-0

Semifinals:

Bolyard (WL) d. Leadman (UC) 6-3, 6-3

Saluja (WVWC) d. Seifarth (SC) 7-5, 6-4

Championship:

Bolyard (WL) d. Saluja (WVWC) 7-5, 6-4

#4 SINGLES:

1st Round:

Tyson Riggleman (FSC) d. Burt Clark (BSC) 6-0, 6-1

Matthew Stonestreet (CC) d. Girhum Waldamanuel (Tech) fft.

Quarterfinals:

#1 Mike Farrell (SC) d. Riggleman (FSC) 6-0, 6-1

#4 Dominick Mack (WVWC) d. Dave Mitchell (WVSC) 6-0, 6-0

#3 Michael Bumgarner (UC) d. Reija Radic (SIU) 6-1, 6-2

#2 Zach Stubna (WL) d. Stonestreet (CC) 7-5, 3-6, 6-4

Semifinals:

Farrell (SC) d. Mack (WVWC) 6-2, 6-0

Stubna (WL) d. Bumgarner (UC) 6-3, 6-3

Championship:

Farrell (SC) d. Stubna (WL) 7-5, 6-4

#5 SINGLES:

1st Round:

Keith Dickerson (CC) d. Jason Roberts (WVSC) 6-1, 6-0

Ben Benedict (FSC) d. David Ogedegbe (SIU) 6-3, 6-7, 6-2

Jamie Kinchloe (D&E) d. Ashan Aziz (Tech) fft.

Quarterfinals:

#1 Brian Jordan (WL) d. Dickerson (CC) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1

#4 Paul Nelson (WVWC) d. Benedict (FSC) 6-2, 6-2

#3 Bobby Bicker (UC) d. Kinchloe (D&E) 6-1, 6-0

#2 Wray Sherman (SC) d. Caleb Hamblin (BSC) 6-0, 6-0

Semifinals:

Jordan (WL) d. Nelson (WVWC) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4

Sherman (SC) d. Bicker (UC) 6-3, 6-3

Championship:

Sherman (SC) d. Jordan (WL) 7-5, 6-1

#6 SINGLES:

1st Round:

Jonathan Collins (BSC) d. Lee Cummings (WVSC) 6-3, 6-2

Quarterfinals:

#1 Justin Thomas (WL) d. Daniel Judy (UC) 6-1, 6-2

#4 Ben Jenkinson (CC) d. Jamie Smith (FSC) 6-0, 6-1

#3 Mike Higgins (WVWC) d. Ivan Pozzaro (SIU) 6-0, 6-1

#2 Eric Stevenson (SC) d. Collins (BSC) 6-0, 6-0

Semifinals:

Thomas (WL) d. Jenkinson (CC) 6-2, 6-2

Stevenson (SC) d. Higgins (WVWC) 7-6, 6-3

Championship:

Thomas (WL) d. Stevenson (SC) 6-2, 7-6

#1 DOUBLES:

1st Round:

Kuzdub/Withrow (D&E) d. Durrani/Foreman (Tech) fft.

Benedict/Simon (FSC) d. Clark/Morehead (BSC) 8-2

Palcu/Radic (SIU) d. Campbell/Simmons (WVWC) 8-4

Quarterfinals:

#1 Halter/Clarke (SC) d. Kuzdub/Withrow (D&E) 8-3

#4 Sarver/Saunders (CC) d. Spriggs/Thomas (WVSC) 8-0

#3 Flintoff/Leadman (UC) d. Benedict/Simon (FSC) 9-7

#2 Denmark/Thomas (WL) d. Palcu/Radic (SIU) 5-0, ret.

Semifinals:

Clarke/Halter (SC) d. Sarver/Saunders (CC) 7-6, 2-6, 5-2

Denmark/Thomas (WL) d. Flintoff/Leadman (UC) 6-4, 6-1

Championship:

Clarke/Halter (SC) d. Denmark/Thomas (WL) 6-4, 6-1

#2 DOUBLES:

1st Round:

Cline/Turner (BSC) d. Collins/Mitchell (WVSC) 8-4

Fleegle/Uchida (SIU) d. George/Kinchloe (D&E) 8-3

Bicker/Marie (UC) d. Marquette/Riggleman (FSC) 8-5

Quarterfinals:

#1 Bolyard/Riske (WL) d. Cline/Turner (BSC) 8-3

#4 Nelson/Olcott (WVWC) d. Fleegle/Uchida (SIU) 8-0

Bicker/Marie (UC) d. #3 Dickerson/O¹Neill (CC) 8-3

#2 Farrell/Seifarth (SC) d. Getachew/Waldamanuel (Tech) fft.

Semifinals:

Nelson/Olcott (WVWC) d. Bolyard/Riske (WL) 1-6, 6-4, 6-3

Farrell/Seifarth (SC) d. Bicker/Marie (UC) 6-1, 6-4

Championship:

Farrell/Seifarth (SC) d. Nelson/Olcott (WVWC) 6-0, 6-2

#3 DOUBLES:

1st Round:

Collins/Hamblin (BSC) d. Cummings/Robers (WVSC) 8-4

Quarterfinals:

#1 Jordan/Stubna (WL) d. Craft/Judy (UC) 8-2

#4 Stonestreet/Wood (CC) d. Carpenter/Layfield (FSC) 8-3

#3 Saluja/Higgins (WVWC) d. Ogdegbe/Pozarro (SIU) 8-2

#2 Sherman/Stambaugh (SC) d. Collins/Hamblin (BSC) 8-1

Semifinals:

Jordan/Stubna (WL) d. Stonestreet/Wood (UC) 6-0, 6-2

Higgins/Saluja (WVWC) d. Sherman/Stambaugh (SC) 7-6, 2-6, 6-2

Championship:

Jordan/Stubna (WL) d. Higgins/Saluja (WVWC) 6-3, 6-0

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: DAN PALCU (SALEM INT.)

COACH OF THE YEAR: JIM CRUTCHFIELD (WEST LIB.)