New Haven, Conn. – It was another successful spring for the Albertus Magnus College men's tennis team, as the Falcons ended the year with a 7-4 overall record and just missed qualifying for the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament with a 0-3 mark in league action.
In his fifth season at the helm of the program, Head Coach Bob Migliorini guided AMC to the second-most wins in school history. During the year, the Falcons posted a 3-1 record at home and shutout victories versus York and Mitchell.
Following the season, a pair of men's tennis players earned All-GNAC honors. The Falcons landed senior Pete Zacharias (North Haven, Conn.) on the first team and freshman Steven Woodfield (Naugatuck, Conn.) on the second team in singles. For the first time in program history, Albertus Magnus also had a major award winner with Woodfield being tabbed as the GNAC Rookie of the Year. Senior Ahmed Abdulateef (Hamden, Conn.) represented the squad on the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team.
Albertus Magnus opened the season with three straight convincing wins. In the first match of the spring, the Falcons were dominant in doubles play en route to an 8-1 victory against Saint Joseph's (Brooklyn). Albertus Magnus took all three to jump out to an early advantage. At No. 1, the tandem of Zacharias and classmate Cerrone Bell (New Haven, Conn.) scored an 8-4 triumph, while the duo of Woodfield and Abdulateef cruised to an 8-1 win at No. 3. At No. 2, Matthew Mezzei (Wallingford, Conn.) and Daniel Constantinidi (North Branford, Conn.) outlasted their opponents for an 8-6 win.
The Falcons closed out March with victories at home versus CCNY and on the road against the Culinary Institute of America. Versus the Beavers, the Falcons pulled away by winning five of the six singles matches to earn the win. AMC won three of the matches in straight sets, as Constantinidi, Woodfield and Abdulateef all won in two sets at No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.
Albertus Magnus also topped the Steel, 6-3, in the Empire State behind strong performances from Mezzei and Woodfield. The pair won in doubles and scored singles victories as well. They accounted for four of the team's six points.
In April, Albertus won its first two games, topping Wheelock, 7-2, and Mitchell, 9-0. Against both the Wildcats and the Mariners, Albertus Magnus swept doubles action. Woodfield and Abdulateef scored a pair of 8-0 wins at No. 3 doubles.
The team picked up what would prove to be its final win of the spring in mid-April against York at home. The Falcons were dominant, winning all six singles matches in straight sets and surrendered just two games in doubles action.
At the Albertus Magnus College Department of Athletics annual end of the year banquet, Zacharias won the team's MVP award for the third season in a row, Mezzei was tabbed as the team's Most Improved Player and Bell was earned the Falcon Award.
Woodfield put an exclamation point on an impressive freshman campaign by picking up the league's Rookie of the Year award. During the year, he went 8-3 overall at No. 5 Singles for the Falcons and was voted GNAC Rookie of the Week on three occasions. The eight wins in singles play were the highest on the team and his 15 total wins were tops on the squad as well. In doubles play, he earned seven wins at No. 3.
Zacharias ends his stellar playing career in New Haven by earning All-GNAC recognition for the third time, after landing on the second team in both 2014 and 2015. At the Albertus Magnus College Athletic Awards Banquet last week, he was named the Team MVP for the fourth year in a row. Throughout his time at AMC, he competed at both the No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles spots. This season, he went 7-4 in singles action, highlighted by one triumph in GNAC play.
Abdulateef appeared in nine matches this spring for the Falcons. He earned six singles wins at No. 6 and teamed with Woodfield for six wins at No. 3 doubles. It marked the second time in his career that he was named to the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team.
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