Standouts are plenty for men's tennis at Middlebury Invitational
September 23, 2007

Ben Stein '09

Danilo Acosta '08

Maxwell Berger '10

Ryan Mannelly '10

Zach Fenno '10
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. -- Bates College junior Ben Stein was runner-up in A Flight Singles and senior Danilo Acosta was the C Flight Singles champion to highlight the Bobcats' numerous successes at the Middlebury Invitational over the weekend.

Stein (Pelham, N.Y.) rolled over three straight opponents -- Carl-Eric Giardin of Skidmore (6-4, 6-3), Mike Mattelson of Vassar (6-4, 6-4) and Andrew Lee of Middlebury (6-1, 5-7 [10-2]) to reach the finals of the A Flight Singles bracket, where Bowdoin's Garrett Gates ended the All-NESCAC player's run. Sophomore Amrit Rupasinghe (Colombo, Sri Lanka) also competed in A Flight Singles, falling out in the first round to Middlebury's Filip Marinkovic.

Stein also teamed up with sophomore Maxwell Berger (Concord, N.H.) to advance to the quarterfinals of the A Flight Doubles by defeating Skidmore's Yahia Imam and T.J. David 8-3.

Acosta (Quito, Ecuador) exhibited the Bobcats' considerable depth with four straight victories for the C Flight Singles crown. Acosta topped Colby's Michael Johnsen (6-4, 6-2), Trinity's Jeff Stempeck (6-3, 3-6, 6-4), Middlebury's Michael Malhame (6-2, 6-0) and, in the finals, Spencer Cheng of Skidmore (6-1, 7-5).

More wins were registered elsewhere by Bates. Berger and sophomore Ryan Mannelly (New Canaan, Conn.) both won matches in the first round of the B Flight Singles, with Berger topping Bowdoin's Matt Knise (6-0, 6-1) and Mannelly handling Trinity's Nick White 6-4, 6-4. Berger and Mannelly lost in the quarterfinals to the two men who would become finalists, respectively Tom Dolan of Trinity and Peter Odell of Middlebury.

Sophomore Zach Fenno (Armonk, N.Y.) was a semifinalist in the C Flight Singles, with wins over Bowdoin's Armin Drake (6-1, 6-1) and Trinity's D.J. Patrick (6-1, 6-2). Cheng edged Fenno in a semifinal battle (7-6[6], 7-6[1]).

Fenno and Acosta teamed up in the B Flight Doubles and advanced three times -- a first-round bye, a defeat of Skidmore's Eric McKee and Jack Martin (8-4) and a 9-7 win over Skidmore's Jeremy Hogan and Cam Clark -- to reach the flight finals.

The Bates men will next compete at the ITA Division III Regional Championships this weekend at Williams College.

Complete Middlebury Invitational Results