LATHAM, N.Y. - The men’s tennis is set to begin the spring portion of its season as teams begin to compete this weekend. Eight teams will be on the hunt to be crowned conference champions with Penn State Harrisburg attempting to defend its 2024 title.
The postseason begins April 26th and will conclude with the Championship FInal on May 4. That Final will be held at the Hempfield Rec Center in Landisville, Pa.
Find the full schedule here: MEN’S TENNIS SCHEDULE
Penn State Harrisburg (2023-24 Record: 13-8, 6-1 UEC)
Last year’s Champions will look to defend their title as the Lions of Penn State Harrisburg are primed for the spring part of the season. Andrew Bookman enters his second year at the helm after successfully leading the team to a Championship title in his inaugural year. He will lean on Damir Cuturic for some experience as the sophomore earned First Team accolades in both singles and doubles last season. The squad had a solid fall season as they turned in a record of 4-1 including wins over Stevenson and Lebanon Valley. This spring, the Lions will have some proper March battles against the likes of York, Gettysburg and Dickinson, all to get them ready for conference play.
Coach’s Outlook: “We are looking forward to having a fun season and hoping that the weather warms up soon! WE ARE!”
St. Mary’s College of Maryland (2023-24 Record: 9-6, 7-0 UEC)
The Seahawks have been a dominant force ever since joining the United East, acting no different last year as the squad were regular season champs and made it to the Championship Finals. Head Coach Sona Brymer enters her fifth year as the leader of the team, guiding the Seahawks to a sweep over Hood in the fall season. This spring, she has scheduled some tough foes to prepare for conference play including matches against York (Pa.) and Marymount. The Seahawks do bring back some veteran leadership as Nick Rohr and Max Esztergomi both picked up five wins in conference play last season. She will also have some new talent as first year Jacob Nelson picked up a pair of wins from the top singles flights during the fall.
Coach’s Outlook: “I'm feeling really good about this season. We have some talented new players and strong returners. We're looking forward to some fun, competitive matches. I'm excited to see what the team accomplishes this season! Let's go Seahawks!”
Penn State Abington (2023-24 Record: 7-8, 5-2 UEC)
Penn State Abington is starting off their new year in the right direction, going 2-0 in their brief fall season. Matt Levy begins his fourth year at the helm, loading his March schedule with non-conference opponents such as Arcadia, Albright and DeSales to help prep the team for a Championship run. Last year’s top flight player, Wenxu Gu, returns after earning a 2023-24 First Team All-Conference nod with four first singles conference victories. Tripp Mangifesta will help with the top of the lineup, coming off a season in which he earned Second Team All-Conference.
Coach’s Outlook: "This is, perhaps, the deepest squad we've had in my four years as head coach and I look forward to seeing where this season takes us."
Cairn University (2023-24 Record: 5-6, 4-3 UEC)
The Highlanders made the playoffs last season and are looking to create an even bigger run in 2025. Head Coach Gregg Fanus enters his second season as the Cairn leader after leading the squad to four conference wins last season. Jacob Gossel returns for his senior season and will most likely hold down the top spot in singles. Gossel picked up six wins in the 23-24 season.
Penn State Berks (2023-24 Record: 4-8, 3-4 UEC)
The Nittany Lions were just on the outside looking in a season ago but in 2025, they have high hopes for the postseason. Angel Negro heads the tennis staff for his second year, leading the team to a pair of fall season wins. Mohammad Esmat will be a key piece to the lineup last year as he earned a First Team All-Conference nod in 2024. He also paired up with Jazae Maina-Itegi, who returns as well, for a First Team doubles honor.
Penn College (2023-24 Record: 2-9, 2-5 UEC)
A young roster will hope to return the Wildcats to the postseason as Penn College narrowly missed the extra play last year. David Straub looks to guide the squad in his second year and has added two mid-march matches against King’s (Pa.) and Penn State Altoona to tune up the squad prior to conference play. Logan Ogden was the lone All-Conference recipient in 2024, posting a 6-2 record from the third flight and earning Second Team honors. He will have help at the one spot from Kyle Shuler, who posted five wins from that flight last year.
Coach's Outlook: "Looking forward to spring 2025. Clearly a stronger lineup. Expecting better record in a pretty tough conference"
Lancaster Bible College (2023-24 Record: 1-15, 1-6 UEC)
The Chargers are looking to build on last year as they have their sights set on returning to the postseason. Devon Clemmer takes the reins for the second year as head coach and has scheduled some quality competition, including Eastern and Lycoming, in order to prepare the team for the conference schedule. He will look to senior Josh Jarvis to head the lineup as he accrued five wins during the 2023-24 season. Jarvis was a First Team All-Conference member in 2022-23 and is looking to put himself back in that echelon.
Coach’s Outlook: “We have a great group of guys looking to grow in the game and their faith. Coming into this year, we have a little more experience that will help us to achieve our goals for the spring.”
Penn State Brandywine (2023-24 Record: 4-8)
Penn State Brandywine makes its Division III debut this year, but the team has proven in the past that it can keep up with the competition that brings. Ray Strunk steps in as the coach for the Nittany Lions, a team that went 4-8 last season including a win over a United East squad. To prime the team for Championship play, Brandywine will take on nearby Neumann University and Immaculata University during mid March. Strunk will lean on a trio of sophomores in Alexander Michael, Matteo Cousineau and John Stine to hold up the top of the lineup.
Coach’s Outlook: “We're entering our first year as an NCAA DIII team. I'm excited to join the United East Conference.”
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The United East boasts 17 NCAA Division III full member institutions which include: Bryn Athyn College, Cairn University, Cedar Crest College, Gallaudet University, Keystone College, Lancaster Bible College, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Penn College, Penn State Abington, Penn State Berks, Penn State Brandywine, Penn State Harrisburg, Rosemont College, Saint Elizabeth University, St. Mary's College of Maryland, University of Valley Forge, and Wilson College. For more information, please visit gounitedeast.com.