STANFORD, Calif. –In only three years under Paul Goldstein, the Cardinal men's tennis program has returned to national prominence with back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Round of 16 as well as hosting the NCAA First and Second Rounds for the first time since 2012.
The Cardinal (18-9, 4-3 Pac-12) finished the season with a No. 16 ranking in the NCAA while making its 38th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Stanford ripped past Idaho 4-0 in the First Round before facing No. 17 Michigan in a 4-1 thriller that Sameer Kumar collected his first career clinching point in.
The top-ranked Wake Forest Deacons loomed next in Athens where Michael Genender and Kumar claimed a win at No. 2 doubles, but the Deacs prevailed with a win at three and a down-to-the-wire win at No. 1.
Wake Forest continued to dominate in singles, ripping off three straight-set wins though Kumar and Brandon Sutter both led their matches before being suspended as the Cardinal closed out its team season.
With a berth in the NCAA Singles Championship, junior Tom Fawcett continued his second All-American campaign with an incredible run to the semifinals where he fell to the eventual NCAA Champion, No. 14 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski of Virginia.
Fawcett finished the year with a No. 11 ranking and an overall record of 22-10 and 12-6 in duals. The junior reached a milestone this season with his 40th career dual win to place his name on the list of leaders in Stanford history, which is dotted with legends. He currently has 42 career dual wins headed into his final season.
David Wilczynski also posted an impressive 18-9 overall record and 16-4 duals record while pairing up with Brandon Sutter for an 18-6 season in doubles and 17-5 duals record. The Pac-12 named Wilczynski Player of the Week twice throughout the season as well as an honorable mention on the All-Pac-12 Team.
The Cardinal also had seven named to the Pac-12 All-Academic Team and three to the All-Pac-12 Team, including Fawcett being named Singles Player of the Year. The honor is the 18th in program history and first since Alex Clayton in 2008.
The ITA also recognized the Cardinal this season with Sutter being named the ITA Northwest Region Most Improved Player (Senior) and Wilczynski being honored with the Northwest Region ITA/Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award.
