Season Review: Men's Tennis excels during 2016-17 campaign
By Caleb Scott
ADA — The Ohio Northern men's tennis team excelled during the 2016-17 season under first-year head coach Mike Bonnell.
After nearly doubling its win total from a season ago, the Polar Bears posted a solid season, while going 11-11 overall and 3-5 in the Ohio Athletic Conference.
Northern saw two athletes earn All-Conference accolades for their efforts on the court.
Sophomores David Hayman (Westerville/South) and Tim Kargl (Downers Grove, Ill./South) each earned All-OAC honors.
Hayman was named Second Team All-OAC and earned his first All-Conference honor.
The sophomore led the Polar Bears with a 17-6 singles record, playing primarily at the Nos. 2 and 3 spots.
He was also one of three ONU players with 12 doubles wins and led the team with an overall record of 29-15.
Kargl was named Honorable Mention All-OAC and earned his first All-OAC honor.
He had a 7-14 singles mark and tied for team-high honors with 12 doubles wins.
In his two seasons at Ohio Northern, Kargl has 12 singles wins, 21 doubles wins and 33 overall victories.
Sophomore Jake Abbott (Kenton) garnered Academic All-OAC honors for his efforts in the classroom and on the court for Northern.
ONU opened the 2016 fall portion of the season with an 8-1 loss at Trine (Ind.) before wrapping up the fall schedule at the ITA Regional Championships.
Northern came out strong during the spring portion of the season as the Polar Bears opened with a 5-game winning streak.
After opening the spring schedule with an 8-1 victory over Olivet (Mich.), Northern would defeat Pitt.-Bradford and Penn St.-Behrend.
From there, the Polar Bears would post a 4-1 record during their annual Spring Break trip as Northern defeated West Virginia St., Emory & Henry (Va.), Roanoke (Va.) and Albion (Mich.) to improve to 7-2 on the season.
After a 5-game losing skid, ONU got back on track with a 3-0 record at the OAC Tennis Fest at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, where they defeated Ohio Christian, Muskingum, and Marietta.
Northern would post a 1-4 record over its final five games to even its record at 11-11.