Empire 8 Announces 2009 Men's Tennis All-Conference Team
May 6, 2009
ROCHESTER, NY – The Empire 8 announced its Men’s Tennis All-Conference Team with sophomore Taylor Borda of Ithaca College being named the 2009 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Player of the Year. It marked the second consecutive year Borda has earned the top conference honor.
Jeff Boyd of Hartwick College was selected as Rookie of the Year and was named to the all-conference second team. Bill Austin was named Coach of the Year for leading Ithaca to the conference title and a single-season school record for victories.
Borda, who earned first-team all-conference honors for the third time, posted a 10-0 mark in conference play at first singles, including two wins in the Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Championship in which he was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. He also earned first-team all-conference recognition in doubles for the third time, this year teaming with sophomore Josh Rifkin. The duo went undefeated in Empire 8 play, including the postseason, and advanced to the semifinals of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Northeast semifinals.
Rifkin earned first-team all-conference honors in singles as well after posting a 10-0 mark in second singles in Empire 8 play and a 20-0 record in dual matches entering the NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championship.
Sophomores Arik Zeevy and Jason Ringstad of conference runner-up Stevens Institute of Technology were named to the all-conference first team in singles and as a doubles team. Zeevy repeated as a first-team choice in singles, posting an 8-2 mark in conference play at first singles and advancing to the ITA quarterfinals. Ringstad finished 8-2 in Empire 8 play at second singles and the duo combined for an 8-2 record in first doubles.
Sophomore Gabe Cortes of Elmira College, the 2008 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, was selected to the all-conference first team for the second consecutive season. He posted six straight-set wins in eight matches at first singles in conference play.
Senior Jose Guzman of Rochester Institute of Technology, a second-team selection a year ago, was named to the all-conference first team this season.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2009 Men’s Tennis Sportsman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
2009 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Awards
Player of the Year: Taylor Borda, Ithaca College
Rookie of the Year: Jeff Boyd, Hartwick College
Coach of the Year: Bill Austin, Ithaca College