CMC75 Moments: 2015 Men's Tennis Takes National Title

As part of the buildup to the 75th Anniversary celebration for Claremont McKenna College (visit CMC's 75th Anniversary Countdown Page to learn more), we are reliving many of the great moments from CMS athletic department history over the 75-day countdown from April 17 to July 1. If you were a part of this great moment and would like to add to the memories, or if you would like to submit your memories of your own favorite CMS Athletics moments, fill out the form on our main 75th Anniversary page.

Great Moments from 75 Years of Athletics
2015 Men's Tennis: Stags Win Program's Second National Title

The CMS Men's Tennis team had been oh-so-close to winning the program's first national championship since 1981 in both 2013 and 2014, finishing as runner-up to Williams and Amherst respectively. The senior class in 2015, led by Warren Wood, Joe Dorn and Nikolas Marino, was simply not going to be denied again.

The Stags were tested in the quarterfinals by Johns Hopkins, falling behind 2-1 after doubles, but Wood took a quick win at No. 1 (6-2, 6-2) after also winning doubles with Dorn, who earned a 6-3, 7-6 win at No. 4 singles for the fourth CMS point, after a quick 6-1, 6-2 win for Marino at No. 3. That set up the clincher from Glenn Hull at No. 6, who prevailed 6-3, 7-5 for a 5-3 team win and send CMS on to the semis.

The Stags beat WashU 5-2 with Wood again winning both singles and doubles and Skyler Butts providing the clincher at No. 2, setting up the team's third straight appearance in the national championship, against a third different NESCAC school, this time meeting Middlebury.

CMS was determined not to have any drama, as Marino and Hull capped off a doubles sweep with a 9-7 comeback win (after trailing 7-3), after Wood/Dorn and Butts/Daniel Morkovine took theirs 8-3 and 8-1, respectively.  Wood then earned a 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 1 singles, finishing off a 6-0 week at nationals in both singles and doubles, before Hull earned his second clincher on a backhand winner to take a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 6 for the national championship.

With the team trophy in hand, Wood kept right on winning to close out his career, taking the singles and doubles championships as well (winning doubles with Dorn) to give him the rare national championship sweep, known as the triple crown. He became only the second player in NCAA Division III history to accomplish that feat, joining Matt Seeberger of UC Santa Cruz in 2005. Butts, who lost to Wood in the singles championship in 2015, would go on to win his own title in 2016 to give CMS two straight national championship winners in singles.

Daniel Morkovine: 

That was an incredible season because we had such a strong team top to bottom, and were led by an incredible group of seniors: Warren, Joe and Nik. We are also a very close team and had a lot of fun together outside of practice/matches. The moment itself was one that I will never forget -- I was playing right next to Glenn when he clinched at No. 6, and remember being in such disbelief that it took me a while to realize we had clinched. Being able to celebrate with the team, coaches, alumni, and family in attendance was incredibly special. 

It was extremely special for two reasons. One - most of the guys had lost in the finals the previous two years, so it was awesome to see them finally win the title, especially for the seniors. For me personally I also had a really bad tournament in 2014 and took a lot of blame for the finals loss (was benched due to poor performance in the quarters/semis), so getting over the finish line felt amazing. Two - as I mentioned, this team was super close off the court so to be able to achieve success not just as a tennis team but as close friends was truly special.

I can't thank the alumni enough for being in attendance and their overwhelming support. I think I remember 10+ flying out to Mason, Ohio on a random Wednesday and being super loud at the match. It really made a big difference for us, especially to take the momentum in doubles. I'm sharing this photo (at right) because it includes the whole team, coaches, and alumni that were in attendance.  

Nik Marino:

Why that moment is so special is that all of us had been working hard to win a championship for four years. That was our third time going to the finals and we finally did it. For Warren, Joe and I, it was a huge relief because we had finally accomplished our ultimate goal and could finish our careers with a bang. We were always very proud to represent CMS, and we were so honored that we could bring home the trophy for everyone in Claremont.

Joe Dorn:

I have a lot of memories from that season and most of them are quite positive, especially considering how it finished up. One memory that sticks out is our trip to Washington, D.C. for spring break because I think it was really helpful in bringing us closer as a team. It is always fun to travel as we spend more time together and gain a stronger sense of team. Also, we played some really tough matches, including one against UPenn (DI team), that pushed our level up. Rather than beating up on lower ranked DIII teams we embraced the challenge of playing tougher teams because we knew it would help in the long run.  

Playing for a national championship with your friends is pretty special, regardless of how the results turn out. One moment that really sticks out is the doubles match that Hull and Marino won after coming back from behind. After that awesome victory, there was a sense that we can't be stopped. I don't think that we were arrogant, but insted had a deep sense of belief and confidence. It was so fun to see all your teammates playing their best and showing up when it counts.  

I had a really rough Ojai tournament where I wasn't present mentally and had a terrible attitude. I think I was feeling pressure of the long season and needed to let some negative energy out.  I didn't do it in the best way, but thankfully Coach Settles was there to support me and have my back. 

2015 Men's Tennis Roster
Head Coach: Paul Settles
Assistant Coaches: Chris Fabrizio, William Ellison
Alex Brenner (So., CMC)
Skyler Butts (Jr., CMC)
Joe Dorn (Sr., CMC)
Glenn Hull (So., CMC)
Max Macey (So., CMC)
Nikolas Marino (Sr., CMC)
Bryan Mehall (Jr., HMC)
Daniel Morkovine (So., CMC)
Rohan Shankar (So., HMC)
Warren Wood (Sr., CMC)
Lestter Yeh (Jr., CMC)