Five Men's Tennis Players Garner NECC Accolades
ATTLEBORO, Mass. – A day after winning eight of nine titles at the NECC Championship, the Mitchell College men's tennis team took home two major conference awards and had a total of five players earn all-conference first team honors.
Junior Kyle Carmona was named NECC Player of the Year for the third straight season, and head coach Rick Carmona was tabbed NECC Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons. Voting for all awards was conducted among NECC men's tennis coaches.
Kyle Carmona was joined on the NECC All-Conference First Team in singles by sophomore Rocco Devona, junior Tyler Engleberg and senior Adam Samuels. The duo of Carmona and Devona also earned NECC All-Conference First Team honors in doubles along with Engleberg and junior Alexander Fusco.
Kyle Carmona, now a three-time all-conference selection, went undefeated in both singles and doubles play to remain unbeaten in his collegiate career. He went 8-0 in singles while playing at the No. 1 spot for the Mariners. He and Devona also posted an 8-0 mark at No. 1 doubles. Kyle Carmona took home both singles and doubles titles over the weekend at the NECC Championship.
Rick Carmona garnered Coach of the Year honors for the third time in his three-year career at Mitchell. He previously won both the men's and women's award in 2009. This season he led the Mariners to their third straight conference title, sharing the award as co-champions with Lesley University. Mitchell went 10-2 overall and 7-1 in league play.
Devona, a repeat all-conference pick, finished the season with a 10-1 mark in singles play, going 3-1 at the top spot and 7-0 at No. 2. In addition to his 8-0 record with Kyle Carmona in doubles play, Devona was undefeated in four matches with Engleberg as his partner. He also won both singles and doubles titles over the weekend at the NECC Championship.
Engleberg earned all-conference status for the third straight year. He split time between No. 2 and 3 singles and combined to go 12-0 during the regular season, keeping his career record without a defeat. He also won a singles title over the weekend in the third flight of the NECC Championship.
Samuels earned all-conference doubles honors in 2009 but was rewarded for a strong 2011 campaign with his first-ever singles recognition. He posted an 11-1 overall mark and went undefeated during conference play, capping the season with both a singles and doubles title at the NECC Championship.
Engleberg and Fusco posted an 8-0 record at No. 2 doubles during the regular season and were 6-0 in conference action. Engleberg earned all-conference doubles recognition for the second time in his career while it was the first for Fusco. The duo also picked up the title in the second flight of the weekend's championship.
2011 New England Collegiate Conference Men's Tennis Honors
2011 NECC Player of the Year: Kyle Carmona, Mitchell
2011 NECC Rookie of the Year: Paolo DiPietrantonio, Lesley
2011 NECC Coach of the Year: Rick Carmona, Mitchell
2011 NECC Team Sportsmanship Award: Wheelock Wildcats
ALL‐NECC First Team - Singles
Kyle Carmona, Mitchell, JR, Norwich, Conn.
Rocco Devona, Mitchell, SO, Waterford, Conn.
Tyler Engleberg, Mitchell, JR, Niantic, Conn.
Adam Samuels, Mitchell, SR, New Rochelle, N.Y.
David Newton, Lesley, JR, Hamden, Conn.
Alex Zhitnik, Lesley, SR, West Hartford, Conn.
Wilson Chang, Wheelock, SR, Lee, Mass.
ALL‐NECC First Team - Doubles
Kyle Carmona/Rocco Devona, Mitchell, JR/SO, Norwich, Conn. /Waterford, Conn.
Christian Domingo/ Nick Mattox, Lesley, SR/SO, Los Angeles, Calif. /Pasadena, Md.
Tyler Engleberg/Alex Fusco, Mitchell, JR/JR, Niantic, Conn./Saugus, Mass.
ALL‐NECC Honorable Mention - Singles
Nick Mattox, Lesley, SO, Pasadena, Md.
Brian Piquette, Becker, FR, Agawam, Mass.
Bobby Venning, Wheelock, JR, Greenfield, N.H.
ALL‐NECC Honorable Mention - Doubles
Branden Parkhouse/Tim Howard, Becker, SO/JR, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Paxton, Mass.
