Posted: Jan 26, 2017
By John M. Sherrard
(Walnut, Ca) Now that the courts are dry and the skies are clear, the Mt. SAC Men's Tennis team is ready for action in the 2017 season.
After a successful 2016 season in which the Mounties finished with an overall 18-3 record and 6-2 South Coast Conference standing, they will look forward to get the new season underway on Friday with a match at Riverside City College.
The Mounties advanced to the Southern California semifinals, losing to eventual state champion Irvine Valley College.
With only two returners, sophomores Dustin Shin (team captain) and Russell Hao (team captain), the Mounties will be young this season.
Shin and Hao are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 for the Mounties, while freshmen newcomers Brandon Narvaez (Rancho Cucamonga HS) and Matthew Wu are ranked No. 3 and No. 4.
Hao was a first-team, All-League and advanced to the second round in high school at Rancho Cucamonga, while Narvaez was No. 2 singles in high school.
Wu, from Arcadia high, was a captain and JV MVP.
First-year coach Tim Pawley took over the Mt. SAC tennis program in early November and is working with a new group of players this season.
"I was given a handful of players that I've been training hard with new drills, agility and conditioning," said Pawley, who also a tennis professional and owns and operates his own business, TJP Tennis Professionals in Arcadia.
"My goal now is to qualify the players I have currently for post-season play and rebuild the program with strong, committed athletes that see the potential of Mt SAC Tennis and the foundation that is being created.
"I enjoy building programs through players and staff just as building a company."
Pawley, who was the Director of Tennis at La Salle High School from 2003-16, developed a powerful tennis program that produced multiple CIF qualifiers and league titles.
"Recruiting for the future is a top priority and is already being achieved with two verbal commitments for our 2018 season," Pawley added.
Mt. SAC will hit the road for six games before its first "home" match on Tuesday, February 28 hosting Cerritos College. The Falcons finished their season advancing to the So Cal finals last year.
The Mounties will not play at their Walnut campus for home matches but will travel across town to Citrus College. They will only have four matches, all beginning at 2:00 pm.
Follow Mt. SAC Men's tennis on twitter @Mt.SAC_Tennis
Follow Mt. SAC Athletics on Twitter @MtSAC_athletics or Facebook @Mountie.Athletics
For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630