Men's Tennis Earns Second NCAA Tournament Berth In Three Seasons, Skyhawks To Take On Concordia (N.Y.) In East Regionals Next Week

April 26, 2006

It's on to the "big dance" for both Stonehill College tennis teams, as both the Skyhawk men's and women's squads earned at-large berths into their respective fields of 64 in the 2006 NCAA Division II Championships announced on Wednesday afternoon.

The Stonehill women's squad is seeded fourth in the East Regional and will take on fifth-seeded Queens (N.Y.) in first round play next week in Bloomsburg, Pa. Head Coach Pam Arpe's Skyhawks, 17-2 overall this season and regular season champions of the Northeast-10 Conference, earned their second straight NCAA tournament bid and third in the last four seasons, as Stonehill has set school records for single-season victories as well as consecutive wins this spring. The Skyhawks will take on the regular season champions of the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference in East Regional first round play in Queens, as the Knights have posted a 12-4 mark this season under Head Coach Alan Nagel.

The winner of the Stonehill-Queens match will take on the winner of the other East Regional first round match-up between host and top-seeded Bloomsburg (15-2) and eighth-seeded University of the Sciences, Philadelphia (8-4) in second round action.

The Stonehill men's team has earned its second trip to the NCAA Division II Championships in three seasons, as Head Coach Peter Miller's Skyhawks are seeded eighth in the East Regional and will take on top-seeded Concordia (N.Y.) in first round action next week in Bronxville, N.Y. Stonehill, 15-5 overall on the season and runner-up in Northeast-10 regular season play, is also enjoying the best year in school history, as the Skyhawks have set school marks for overall and consecutive victories this spring. Like the Stonehill women, the Skyhawk men will be taking on the NYCAC champion in Concordia, as the Clippers of Head Coach Neil Tarangioli claimed their league title and enter the NCAA championships at 14-7 overall.

The winner of the Stonehill-Concordia first round match will take on the winner of the other East Regional first round contest between fourth-seeded Mercy (10-3) and fifth-seeded Assumption (16-3) in second round action.

Both the 2006 NCAA Division II Men's & Women's Tennis East Regionals will take place from Thursday, May 4th through Saturday, May 6th. Complete schedules for both regional championships will be available on Thursday morning.

As an institution, Stonehill has set a school record for most NCAA tournament berths earned in one academic year with today's selections, as Skyhawk teams have competed for the NCAA Division II national crown in men's & women's cross country, field hockey, men's & women's basketball and men's & women's tennis. Both the field hockey and men's basketball teams advanced to their respective national semi-final rounds.