March 30, 2005
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Victory Over Gauchos and Ducks Highlight 1st Half Of Season...
The Broncos hit the halfway mark of their season with much accomplished on the tennis courts. Highlighting the first half were impressive dual match victories over UC Santa Barbara, the defending Big West Conference champions, and the University of Oregon, who came into their match with Santa Clara ranked No. 52 in the Division I national team standings.
Senior Eric Kochanski led the Bronco charge against the Gauchos with a thrilling come-from-behind, three-set win over UCSB's Elad Stern, 4-6, 7-6, 6-0, while fellow senior and Eric's housemate, Francisco Zepponi, sealed Santa Clara's victory after a marathon match with Nick Brotman 7-6, 2-6, 6-3. he pair then joined teammates for a celebratory meal at Henry's Tacqueria.
The Ducks of Oregon flew down to the Bay Area, and once again, Kochanski was a big contributor to the outcome. He first teamed with Bobby Rasmussen for a solid winning debut at the top doubles slot and then followed up that performance with a stellar 6-4, 6-2 singles victory. This set the table for senior Taylor Bedilion to close out the dual match and he responded with an impressive 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 score over Oregon's Manuel Kost, a nationally-ranked singles player who began the season at No. 30 in the preseason polls.
The freshmen class also stepped it up during the Broncos' first half. Following a tough 8-6 defeat against No. 33 Rice University in their doubles debut, Chris Iwamura and Blane Shields rebounded against conference rival USF with a resounding 8-3 victory. A.J. Kerin has been a tough customer in the singles lineup and currently leads the team with 15 victories, while Tyler Wilson captured an impressive indoor victory against nationally-ranked University of Utah.
Former Bronco on ESPN...
Bronco tennis graduate, Pat Mangan, was recently featured on ESPN's "Outside The Lines" along with his boy's basketball team at Frederick Douglass Academy in New York. The show centered on Pat's requirement that all of his players maintain an 80 percent academic average in order to compete on the varsity basketball team.
Players and parents shared their thoughts on how they were initially against Coach Mangan's academic demands and on the journey they took to meet and surpass Pat's requirement. A modern-day "Coach Carter", Pat has truly shown that if kids are given the proper guidance, assistance and resources they can achieve anything they set out to accomplish.
Meet Tyler Wilson...
Year: Freshman
Major: Combined Sciences
Home: Medford, Ore.
Nicknames: Stud, T-Dub
Favorite Food: Lasagna
Least Favorite Food: Peanuts, Cauliflower
Place I like to frequent on campus: The Malley Center for ping-pong
A favorite film: "The Matrix" movie series
Song that pumps me up: "Eye of the Tiger", by Survivor
Favorite sports team: Sacramento Kings
If I wasn't playing tennis, I'd be: Playing ping-pong or basketball
If there was a movie about me, it would be: "The Ladies Man"
Bronco Bits...
Sophomores Bobby Rasmussen and Jan Macek were named Bronco Scholar-Athletes of the Week during the recently concluded winter quarter marking the fourth time this year the Broncos had received the honor... Marc Moran (1990) was named Facility Manager of the Year, while his club, Spanish Bay Club, was named Facility of the Year by the United States Professional Tennis Association... Lars "Cat Daddy" Nelson (2000) and his wife Alison announced they will be proud parents of a future Bronco this September... J.T. Nishimura, son of SCU tennis graduate Landon Nishimura, captured the Boys 10s title at the Copper River Open... Sophomore Kevin McQuaid has been successfully rehabing a knee injury sustained last summer... "Circus" will redshirt this year and return next fall to entertain all tennis fans... Team manager Stephan Vernaelde begins work as a tax associate this August with Ernst & Young... A.J. Kerin celebrated his 20th birthday on March 16.
Bronco Pro-Am Invitational Rescheduled...
Mother Nature forced the postponement of the eighth annual Bronco Pro-Am Invitational. Bronco tennis fans will now join former and current Broncos on Saturday, April 30 from 3:00-7:00p.m. Contact George Husack to sign up as it promises to be a fun (and hopeful "sunshiney") event.
Calling All Broncos...
We'd love to hear from and report on former Santa Clara Tennis players, coaches and fans. Should you know their whereabouts or important contact information, please let us know as we continue to update our history books.
West Coast Championships At Pepperdine...
The annual WCC tournament is just a few weeks away and we'd love for you to join us in beautiful Malibu. The three-day schedule is available online at www.wccsports.com. Click on the "Championships" link located along the left side of the webpage and you'll be directed to the event.
The official tournament hotel, Hilton-Woodland Hills, is offering a $75 room rate. Call 818-595-1000 for reservations and we'll see you at Pepperdine.
