MANLIUS, NY — Looking for their second straight conference championship, the SUNY New Paltz women’s tennis team fell one spot short of a repeat. The Hawks finished second among the nine-team field at the 2003 SUNYAC Championship last weekend at the Eastside Racquet Club in Manlius, NY. New Paltz relinquished the league title to Cortland who won four of six singles flights and all three doubles positions. Head Coach Pete Cahill was named the SUNYAC Coach of the Year after leading the Red Dragons to their fifth league title and first since 2000.
Cortland finished the three-day event with 33 points. New Paltz, who accumulated 22 points, produced one league champion and five All-SUNYAC performers. Geneseo, who was second in 2002, fell to third place with 17 points.
Senior co-captain Becky Sparacin (Goshen, NY) and junior co- captain Kerry Farrell (Rockville Centre, NY) were the catalysts for the Hawks’ second place performance. Sparacin earned first team all-conference honors and defended her championship in the number two singles flight with a 7-6 (7- 4), 6-2 victory over Krissy Feikert of Geneseo.
Farrell was one of four Hawks named to the all-conference second team. She advanced to the finals of the number one singles flight before losing to Cortland’s Laurie Dorscheid, 6-4, 6-2. The duo, who won last year’s first doubles flight, lost in the finals to Dorscheid and Amanda Husson of Cortland, 6-2, 6-1.
Junior Amie Larson (Port Jervis, NY) was also a member of the all-conference second team. She was a finalist in the number four singles flight and was defeated by Sara Feikert of Cortland, 6-2, 7-5.
Amie and her freshman sister Jen were eliminated in the semifinals of the number two doubles flight, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4, by Sara Feikert and Andrea TerBush of Cortland. In the number five singles flight, Jen lost to Shalini Sudarsanan of Geneseo 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals.
Sophomore Sara Goldstein (Merrick, NY) and junior Amanda Rosario (Bronx, NY) rounded out the all-conference second team. The pair played in the finals of the number three doubles flight where they fell to Cortland’s Stacy Gordon and Stephany Krauz, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1. In singles play, Goldstein was eliminated by Brit Montmeat of Plattsburgh, 6- 4, 4-6, 6-7 (3-7) in the quarterfinals of the third singles flight.
Junior Jessica Smith (Newport News, VA), the Hawks number six singles player, was defeated by Cortland’s Meredith McCaslin, 7-5, 6-0, in the semifinals.
