Washington College men’s tennis won NCAA Division III national championships in 1994 and 1997, led by coaches Tim Gray and Matt Rose, who guided the teams to Centennial Conference titles and national championship victories.
Washington College Men’s Tennis Won Its First Title in 1994
The 1994 Washington College men’s tennis team captured the program’s first NCAA Division III national championship under head coach Tim Gray. The Shoremen finished with a 19-2 record and won the Centennial Conference championship before defeating third-seeded Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 5-4, in the national championship match.
The championship match was tied 4-4 when Washington College’s first doubles team of Damian Polla and Robin Sanders took the court for the deciding match. After losing the first set 6-3, Polla and Sanders recovered to win the second set and the tiebreaker, 6-4, securing the national title.
Damian Polla earned All-American honors, while Robin Sanders was named the Centennial Conference Player of the Year. The 1994 team members also included Carlos Nuno, Miroslav Beran, Stephan Berger, Michael Kember, Andrew King, Emilio Bogado, Andrew Moffat and Max Nilsson.
Washington College Men’s Tennis Added a Second Championship in 1997
Washington College men’s tennis won its second NCAA Division III national championship in 1997 under head coach Matt Rose. The Shoremen finished 20-1, won the Centennial Conference title and defeated Kalamazoo College, 4-2, in the national championship match in Lexington, Virginia.
Kalamazoo College won the doubles point, but Washington College answered with four singles victories at Nos. 1, 3, 5 and 6, delivering the second national team championship in program history.
Damian Polla, a senior, also won the NCAA Division III Singles Championship that year as the No. 4 seed. This was Polla’s second individual national title; he previously won the singles championship in 1995.
The 1997 team members included Andrew King, Michael Kember, Miroslav Beran, Tomas LaJarraga, Gustava Vincentina, Carl Nordberg, Chas. Merrick and Jason Samus.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Washington College’s championship archive documents two different title-clinching performances. The 1994 team won a 5-4 final after a deciding doubles comeback, while the 1997 team overcame losing the doubles point by winning four singles matches.
Damian Polla contributed to both championship teams and added two NCAA Division III Singles Championships in 1995 and 1997. The official Washington College championship archive preserves the records and match details from both national championships.
Source: Original report
