GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah College men's team will open the 2020 season tomorrow when they travel to Harford Community College in Bel Air, Maryland at 2:30 p.m. The Falcons are coming off an 7-11 overall record last season, going 4-2 in conference play. Messiah (32 points) was picked first in the MAC Commonwealth Coaches' Preseason Poll, just ahead of Stevenson University (31 points). Last season, the Falcons fell to the Mustangs in the MAC Commonwealth Championships (5-1).
See below for a quick preview of the 2020 season:
Roster and Coaches
The Falcons didn't lose anyone to graduation after the 2019 season and return a wealth of experience on the court. Messiah will be led by seniors
Bryson Boettger,
Alex Mantsevich, and
Keller Martin, along with juniors
Andrew Bookman and
Galen Fitzkee.
Fitzkee was named to the First Team All-MAC Commonwealth last season. He competed as Messiah's No. 1 singles and was paired with Bookman at the No. 1 doubles position. Bookman (No. 2 singles) and Mantesvich (No. 3 singles) also received Second Team honors in the 2019 season for Messiah.
Messiah also welcomes four newcomers to the roster, including
Jonathan Baker,
Ellis Martin,
Connor Rose, and
Jaron Wenger. Both
Ellis Martin and
Connor Rose saw action in matches this past fall.
This experienced Falcon squad is led by head coach
Jon Arosell. Arosell enters his ninth season at the helm of both the men's and women's tennis teams at Messiah. He is assisted by third-year assistant
Mike Kovacs.
What To Watch For
After their match at Harford Community College, the Falcons will return to the courts over spring break when they travel to Hilton Head S.C. The Falcons will take on Concordia University (Wis.) (Mar. 16), St. Mary's College of Maryland (Mar. 17), Shepherd University (Mar. 19), and Ramapo College (Mar. 20) over spring break. Messiah will then return to Grantham to battle a non-conference opponent, University of Scranton, on Mar. 25. The Falcons will kick off conference play on Mar. 28 when they travel to Arcadia University.
Keep an eye out for this experienced team to be a top contender for the MAC Commonwealth title. In the fall,
AJ Swanson and
Connor Rose made it to the No. 4 doubles MAC Championship title match and fell to Stevens University, while
Alex Mantsevich (No. 2).
Ellis Martin (No.6), and
Keller Martin (No. 7) all made it to the MAC semifinals.
