The RCGC men's tennis team will look for a return to championship form when they begin play in Saturday's NJCAA Region XIX tournament at Mercer County Park – and you can bet that a combination of experience and talent will take the Roadrunners a long way.
The Runners, No. 4 in the latest NJCAA Division III National Rankings, finished the regular season with a 10-3 overall record and 8-0 mark in Region XIX competition and hope to capture their first regional crown since 2015.
Seedings for the tournament took place on Thursday, and each member of RCGC's squad earned byes for matches held on Friday. RCGC has compiled a total of four NJCAA Division III National Championships and seven Region XIX titles in its proud history.
The experienced Roadrunners are led by trio of talented sophomores in No. 1 singles Sebastian Gonzalez, and singles standouts Mike Colville and Jacob Harrison, along with freshman standout Zach Carr.
The experience at the top of the lineup counts for a lot in a championship tournament, said veteran coach Brian Rowan.
"I think having sophomores at the top of the lineup will help us win within the region -- it's helped us win region championships in the past," said Coach Rowan. "Our guys are hungry to win, which is part of the equation as well.
"But the most important piece here is that the sophomores want to have a region championship on their resumes, so to speak."
That certainly is the case with No. 1 singles Sebastian Gonzalez, a former Cherry Hill East standout, who has taken on more of a leadership role with teammates during his sophomore season. Gonzalez finished as a national runnerup and All-American in 2017 at first singles, losing to Oxford CC's Guillermo Cabral by a 7-6, 6-2 score in the championship match.
This spring he has played No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles with Colville – and winning a team title is at the top of his list.
"I'm trying to help out teammates with techniques and with their training," he said. "If I see something during the doubles match, I'll say something to help us adjust. I want to help the team any way I can. We have the talent to win the region, and that's our goal."
Gonzalez also noted he is playing more aggressive himself, especially around the net. This season he has competed against top-flight players at all levels in order to prepare for the regional and national tournaments, and he has had to adjust his own playing style as a result.
"I would usually be patient at the beginning of a match to see how things were going," he said. "But I'm playing smarter and taking points when I can get them. I've also tried to react faster against players with stronger serves. No doubt I'll be seeing better players going into the tournament, so I feel ready for the challenge."
And Gonzalez's teammate are all on board when it comes to bring home a team championship.
Colville (West Deptford) won the NJCAA national title at No. 6 singles as a freshman with a 6-3, 7-6 triumph over Oxford CC's Geoffrey Yang, the top seed. This spring, he has rotated between Nos. 2, 3 and 4 while also teaming with Gonzalez at No. 1 doubles.
Harrison contributed a 7-5 mark rotating between No. 2 and 3 singles, while teaming with Paulo Clauro to compile a 10-3 record at No. 2 doubles. In singles matches he has just one loss within the region.
"I'm definitely more confident going into this year's regions compared to a year ago," said Harrison, a Glassboro High graduate. "I trained hard over the summer to prepare myself better for the regions and nationals. My focus really picked up this spring around the mid-point and I'm locked in to helping the team win a championship."
Freshman Zach Carr, who won a Gloucester County championship while a senior at Williamstown High School, enjoyed a solid freshman campaign with an 8-4 record between Nos. 4 and 5 singles. He also teamed with John Ciliberto to post a 7-5 record primarily at No. 3 doubles.
"This has been a tough schedule to adjust to," said Carr. "But I feel I'm getting better with each match and hopefully can continue improving right on through the regionals. We have a great history here in men's tennis, and I'm glad to be able to contribute."
The Region XIX tourney will be followed by the 2018 NJCAA D III National Championship Tournament at Peachtree City Tennis Center in Peachtree City, GA from May 11 through May 13.