The Roadrunner Men's Tennis squad achieved a team goal Saturday they expected to reach all season -- repeat as NJCAA Region 19 champions.

Mission accomplished as they rolled to the Region team crown indoors Saturday at Mercer County Park with 14 points, easily overcoming runnerup Ocean County College (8 points).

While there were many highlight moments, head coach Brian Rowan and the coaching staff especially enjoyed an amazing finish in which the first and second doubles teams -- Kyle Deacon and Rockland Caselli along with James Keenan and Jason Petrin -- emerged as Region champions by completing their matches within seconds of each other. Those wins put the touches on a solid and dominating team performance.

"It was a great way to finish with some of our leaders on the court closing out tough doubles wins -- that was a signature moment for the team as our first and second doubles finished within seconds of each other," said Coach Rowan. "Kyle Deacon played his best tennis at the end and really stepped up to help the team. We have a lot to work on but it's great whenever you get to extend your season and we are excited to take this great opportunity at nationals."

The entire lineup contributed to the Region 19 title effort. Meet results were as follows:

Region Champions
Jason Petrin (No. 3 singles)
James Keenan (No. 5 singles)
Christian Rafanello (No. 6 singles)
Rockland Caselli and Kyle Deacon (No. 1 doubles)
James Keenan and Jason Petrin (No. 2 doubles)
William Chew and Christian Rafanello (No. 3 doubles)

Region Runnerups
Kyle Deacon (No. 2 singles)
William Chew (No. 4 singles)

And not surprisingly, team members are looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead when they compete in the NJCAA National Championship Tournament, May 12-14 in Oxford, GA. After finishing as Division III national runnerup in 2022, the Runners face a daunting task when they face defending champion and powethouse Oxford-Emory in the tourney.

"We're a much-improved team over last year, and we hope to show that at Nationals," said No. 5 singles James Keenan. "We're excited at the challenge."

Freshman Kyle Deacon, a former Clearview Regional standout, enjoyed a late season surge to help the team to a region title. He is looking forward to competing against the best in the country.

"We've worked hard all season against some tough teams, so we're well prepared for nationals," he commented. "We have a lot of veterans on this team too, and we feel we're ready for the challenge."

Click Here for Region 19 Championships Photo Album

Watch for a preview of the NJCAA National Championship Tournament  prior to the title tournament.