For Immediate Release April 24, 1999
Phil Benne Named ODAC Coach of the Year
Lissauer and Baker Take Third at Conference Meet
Click Here for Complete Results From the 1999 Men's Tennis Championships
ASHLAND, Va.--Roanoke College’s Phil Benne has been named the 1999 Old Dominion Athletic Conference men’s tennis Coach of the Year. This is the first time in his career that Benne has been named the conference’s men’s tennis Coach of the Year. He also becomes the first coach at Roanoke to ever earn the award. Benne led the Maroons to a 5-11 record this season. The five wins are the most Roanoke has accumulated in three years. This is the second Coach of the Year Award Benne has won this year. During the fall season, he was honored as the conference’s women’s soccer Coach of the Year. At the conference’s postseason tournament, Jared Lissauer (Greenwich, CT/Greenwich) took third place in the number-one singles flight. Lissauer opened the tournament with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Brandt Daniel of Randolph-Macon College, before falling to Dan Drossman of Guilford. Lissauer rebounded to defeat Washington & Lee’s Dale Pretila to take third place.
David Duncan (Cottonwood, AZ/Mingus Union) was the fourth place finisher in the number-two singles flight. Like Lissauer, Duncan won his opening match over an opponent from Randolph-Macon (3-6, 6-2, 6-4). He then fell to a Washington & Lee player in the next round, before falling to Johnny Mavromatis from Guilford in the third place match.
Steve Baker (White Sulpher, WV/Greenbriar) was third in the number-four singles flight. Baker fought from behind in the first match, beating his Guilford foe, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. He stumbled in the second round, but rebounded to take a 6-2, 6-3 win over a player from Eastern Mennonite in the third place contest.
The duo of Lissauer and Duncan were the fifth place finishers in the number-one doubles, while Hal Trent (Salem, VA/Salem) was fifth in the number-five singles flight.