RESULTS

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – A season crammed with highlights and record-breaking performances came to a close Monday for the No. 2-ranked Kenyon College men's tennis team. Playing in the NCAA Division III Tournament quarterfinal round, the Lords ended up on the wrong side of a 5-1 upset cooked up by the No. 10-ranked Washington (MO) University Bears.

Kenyon (25-4) and Washington (20-5) got the battle started with three tight doubles matches. As the teams neared decision time in all three matches, tournament directors called a halt to play because of lightning in the area. When played resumed 35 minutes later, the competitive balance unraveled and Washington took control.

The Bears first won at No. 3 doubles by an 8-6 score. Kenyon then achieved its lone point of the day when senior Paul Burgin and sophomore Tim Rosensteel delivered an 8-5 win at No. 1 doubles. Minutes later, Washington neutralized that win by taking the No. 2 doubles match by another 8-6 final.

The Bears rode the wave of momentum into singles play and never afforded Kenyon the opportunity to stem the tide. Washington claimed straight-set wins at No. 5, No. 3, and No. 1 singles to clinch the team victory. In the three matches that were left unfinished, only sophomore Michael Razumovsky held a lead for the Lords.

Despite the disappointing ending, the Kenyon men still managed to put together one of the best seasons in program history. Throughout the campaign they defeated 11 teams that were ranked within the nation's Top 25. On February 24, the Lords defeated the No. 1-ranked Emory University Eagles and took over the top spot in the national polls for the first time in Kenyon history. Additionally, the team's 25 victories tied the program record for wins in a single season.

Less than a month ago, the Lords won their seventh straight and 16th overall North Coast Athletic Conference Championship. That conference title came along with an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, an event the Lords have now played in for 12 consecutive seasons.

On an individual basis, Burgin set the Kenyon career record for most singles wins (97) and the career record for combined singles and doubles wins (177). Burgin, the two-time NCAC Player of the Year, is currently 97-35 in singles play and 80-35 in doubles. Both he and Razumovsky were invited to play in the NCAA Division III Singles Championship, which will get underway Thursday morning. Wade Heerboth also set the Kenyon record for doubles wins in a season as he finished off his sophomore slate with a stellar 34-6 record.

Burgin and his fellow seniors comprised the most successful class in the program's history. He, along with Josh Stiles, C.J. Williams, and Kevin Ye, helped lift the Lords to a combined 88-20 record over the last four seasons.