It was a tremendously successful year for the Holy Cross tennis program as a whole. For the first time in school history, the Holy Cross men’s tennis team found a win at the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Tournament. Saints head coach Eric Mahone was named the CCAC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year.
Although the team was forced to spend a considerable amount of time apart, getting back onto the court together was something that felt almost nostalgic at first.
“Oh yeah, obviously it [getting back on the courts] was a total reprieve from everything else going on around us. Especially with the lack of social activities compared to normal years, it allowed for our kids to definitely have a somewhat normal college experience, which was good,” Mahone said.
The team was littered with talent from top to bottom, starting with the senior class of Mac Flannery, Dylan Euzarraga and Ben Beekman, all the way down to Isaac Chan and Will Page, who earned All-Conference honors in their first season with the squad.
The Saints would conclude their season with the winningest record in program history, finishing with a record of 9-8 (4-2 CCAC). Their season ended at the hands of Judson University but their 7-0 onslaught over the St. Ambrose Fighting Bees propelled them to the semifinal showdown against Judson. The Saints are making their presence felt in the CCAC and are bound and determined to bring that same intensity into next season.
Returning Chan and Page will certainly help as they will have one more year to flourish alongside team captain Dominic Gibson who will be in his senior season next year. Martin Fajardo will return as a junior. The Saints have also nabbed a top recruit from the Netherlands, Olaf de Lange is a commit from Massland, Netherlands who will surely contribute to the rapidly rising roster.
(Editor’s Note: Gibson is also a sportswriter for the Observer.)
The Saints are primed to make a good run in the CCAC in the next coming years under Coach Mahone, and they continue to grow as a team as they begin to pave a new legacy for those who will follow in their path.
