Press Releases

March 31, 1999
Men's Tennis Team at Southampton College Brings More Talent to the Net

Chuck Hitchcock to Retire as Head Coach After Conclusion of 1999 Campaign

Contact:
Joe Dionisio
(516) 287 8313
Fax: (516) 283 4081

Southampton -- The men's tennis program at Southampton College of Long Island University , which began its season March 14 with six matches at Hilton Head, South Carolina, fell to 1998 co-defending champion Dowling College 7-2 yesterday to bring its record to 1-1 in conference (1-6 overall).

With several talented recruits, six returnees and a six-man contingent of Swedish talent, the Colonials have one of their strongest rosters in years. The team won its home opener March 27, beating New Jersey Institute of Technology, 7-0.

This season marks the last for head coach Chuck Hitchcock of Springs, NY, who has announced he will retire from the position after concluding his 10th season at the helm. Hitchcock, a professor of Sociology, will continue to serve on Southampton College faculty, of which he has been a member for 32 years.

In 1998, Southampton College finished 4-4, good for fourth place in the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC). The team hopes to improve on that this season, and excel in post-season play in the NYCAC, as well as in the Metropolitan Collegiate Tennis Conference playoffs in Flushing, NY.

"Our talent level has steadily grown for several years now," said Hitchcock, who guided the team for five years starting in the late 1960s, and began a second stint in the 1990s. "I'm excited about having such a skilled roster during my final season as coach."

The Colonials three captains are: junior Mans Selander of Floda, Sweden, who will be the no. 5 seed in singles; junior Fredrik Rydell of Norrkoping, Sweden, the 4th seed; and sophomore Jim Grigo of Southampton, who enjoyed a strong career at Southampton High School before debuting at the College in 1998. Grigo holds the no. 1 singles spot.

The junior returnee is Johan Kron of Floda, Sweden, the no. 2 singles seed.

Sophomore returnees include: no. 3 singles seed Bret DeCerbo, who, like Grigo, hails from Southampton and starred at Southampton High School; and Roger Svensson of Solvesborg, Sweden, will play no. 6 singles.

New faces on the court will include three freshmen: Eric Grabenstatter of Buffalo, NY, the no. 9 seed; Andreas Lindberg of Malmoe, Sweden, no. 8; and Johan Lindqvist of Goteborg, Sweden, no. 7. Lou Catelli of Red Bank, NJ, is a sophomore transfer from Red Bank Junior College, and will play 10th singles.

The doubles pairings are: Selander-Rydell at no. 1, Grigo-DeCerbo at no. 2, Kron-Lindqvist at no. 3, Svensson-Lindberg at no. 4, and Grabenstatter-Catelli at fifth doubles.

Returning for her third season as assistant coach is Julia Denny of Bridgehampton, who in 1998 served as head coach of Southampton College's inaugural women's tennis team.

Denny is joined by first-year assistant coach Vincent DeCerbo of Southampton, a 1968 alumnus of Southampton College. DeCerbo will have the opportunity to coach his son, Brett.

Five Swedish members of the tennis team have also starred for Southampton College's soccer program. During the 1998 season, Kron and Svensson (each a First Team NYCAC honoree), Selander, Lindqvist, and Lindberg helped the Colonials become the no. 1 ranked soccer team in the Northeast for several weeks.

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