HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's tennis team was well represented as the All-Centennial Conference teams were announced. The Fords had the conference's rookie of the year in Kevin Yan, four All-Centennial Conference singles players (including two first-team honorees), and a pair of doubles teams that were recognized.
Haveford's four singles players honored breaks the program's previous record of three honorees which the Fords had in 1994, 1995, and most recently 2016. The two first-team all-conference picks mark only the fifth time in program history Haverford has accomplished that (1994, 1995, 2007, and 2009). The Fords' had two doubles teams recognized for just the fourth time in program history, all of which have come in the past five seasons (2013, 2014, and 2016).
Kevin Yan's rookie of the year honor marked the second straight year a Haverford player has won that distinction and the third such occasion in the past five seasons. Yan was also one of two Fords recognized as first-team All-Centennial Conference in singles as he went 5-1 overall at No. 3 singles in the Centennial Conference. Yan's only loss in conference came in three sets against Franklin & Marshall while he also racked up wins against each of the conference's other playoff teams, including nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins and Swarthmore.
Joining Yan as a first-team All-Centennial Conference selection in singles was last year's rookie of the year, Josh Moskovitz. Moskovitz earns first-team honors in singles for the second straight year. Playing No. 1 singles for Haverford, the sophomore won nine matches overall, including a 5-3 record against conference foes. Moskovitz is currently ranked 18th in the ITA's Atlantic South Region singles rankings.
Dais Nakayama earned honorable mention All-Centennial Conference recognition for the second straight season. The junior team captain is now a three-time all-conference selection in singles after second-team recognition during his rookie campaign. Nakayama assumed the No. 2 position in the singles lineup and won seven singles matches, featuring conference victories against Muhlenberg and Dickinson.
Moskovitz and Nakayama also teamed up at No. 1 doubles this spring and took home second-team All-Centennial Conference recognition for the second straight season. That pairing, which found itself in the regional rankings for most of the spring and upset the nationally-ranked duo from Swarthmore in the Centennial Conference Tournament, won nine matches together with a 5-3 mark in conference regular season play. Nakayama is now a five-time all-conference performer between singles and doubles while Moskovitz has been honored in both singles and doubles during each of his first two seasons.
Eli Phelps earned All-Centennial Conference recognition for the first time in his career. Playing at No. 4 singles this spring, Phelps won a team-high 12 singles matches as he also led the Fords with a 6-1 record in Centennial Conference matches. Phelps defeated opponents from nationally-ranked Christopher Newport and Swarthmore during the spring. He holds an 18-6 singles record through his first three seasons.
Raja Arul and David Kong were honored as Haverford's second all-conference pairing in doubles. The two first year players were 6-2 when paired together, including a 4-1 record in conference matches contested at the No. 2 position. Arul finished with a combined total of nine wins in doubles while Kong totaled eight for the year. Arul was also named to the Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship Team.
Men's tennis made its 11th appearance in the Centennial Conference semifinals during the past 12 seasons in 2017. The Fords finished the year with a team record of 10-9 overall. Seven of those defeats came at the hands of nationally-ranked opposition. The 2017 season marked the sixth straight year that Haverford has won at least 10 matches.