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Historic Moments and Notable Performances
Updated through the 2012 season
- The first Hope College men's tennis match with an outside opponent occurred
in 1916 against Grand Rapids YMCA.
- In a sport dominated so long by one team, Hope has the distinction of being
up to the challenge. While MIAA member Kalamazoo College has won every
conference title since 1936, the Flying Dutchmen on two occasions have forced
a seasonal
co-championship. In 1962, Hope stopped Kalamazoo's dual meet winning streak at 155 in-a-row,
edging the Hornets 4-3. Over the next 41 years Kalamazoo strung together
241 consecutive dual meet victories but again it was Hope ending it with
a convincing
7-2 triumph on April 15, 2003.
- Lawrence "Doc" Green guided Hope's tennis fortunes for more than
two decades until his untimely death on January 24, 1982. His teams had only
five losing campaigns over 22 seasons, compiling an 84-24 record in league
matches. A member of the Hope faculty since 1952, he also served as Hope's
athletic trainer and had stints as the cross country and track & field
coach. The MIAA named a student-scholar award in his honor.
- In 1969 seniors Doug Barrow '69 and Ron Visscher '69 finished fourth at
the NCAA College Division tournament.. A three-time All-MIAA honoree, Visscher
holds the Hope career record for singles victories (62-22).
- Only a freshman, Tom DeWeert was invited to compete in the NCAA Division III
tournament. He was the first Hope player to be invited to the restructure Division III
championship. He lost in the first round.
- Dan Mann '03 is the only Hope player in MIAA men's tennis history to receive
All-MIAA first team honors four consecutive years (2000-2003). As a junior
he received the league's sportsmanship award and as a senior was chosen the
league's most valuable
player.
- In 2008 John Pelton went undefeated in conference dual matches and at the
conference tournament, becoming the first non-Kalamazoo College player
to go through league play undefeated at first flight singles. Kalamazoo has
dominated the MIAA winning 70 consecutive league titles. Hope is the only
team to interrupt the
streak, forcing co-championships in 1962 and 2003. Pelton's 22 wins in 2008
was a Hope record for victories in a season. The previous mark was 21 by
Doug
Barrow in 1969. Back then Division III did not exist so Barrow competed
in the NCAA College Division tournament where he went unseeded, upset the
number
one seed in the semi-finals and lost in the
finals, but received a standing ovation from the crowd. He also advanced
to the University Division tournament the following week, but lost in the
first round. He ended with a 21-8 record.
- In 2009 senior John Pelton achieved All-America honors by advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division III tennis singles tournament in Claremont, Calif. Pelton opened with a
first round victory over James Muliawan of Carnegie-Mellon, Pa. 6-2, 6-4, but lost in three sets in the second round to second-seeded
Larry Wang of host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. Pelton was unseeded in the 32-player tournament. In 2009 Pelton compiled a 21-2 record and ended his Hope career with a
43-5 mark.
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