Stein, Rupasinghe set for another NCAA run
May 21, 2009

Ben Stein '09 (left) and Amrit Rupasinghe '10 will have a chance to repeat as All-Americans in men's tennis doubles, while Stein will have his first shot in the singles championship as well.

CLAREMONT, Calif. -- Bates College men's tennis players Ben Stein and Amrit Rupasinghe are set to begin play in the 2009 NCAA Division III Tennis Championships, as singles and doubles portion of the championships begin play on Friday.

For the first time in his career, Stein (Pelham, N.Y.) will compete in the 32-player field of the singles championship, which begins play on Friday at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Stein and Rupasinghe (Colombo, Sri Lanka) are making a return appearance in the 16-pair doubles championship. In 2008 at Bates, the Bobcat duo advanced to the semifinal round with wins against teams from Trinity University and Washington University in St. Louis, earning their first All-America honors along the way.

The tournament takes place at the Claremont McKenna-Harvey Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Claremont, Calif., following the team championships, which conclude on Thursday. The singles and doubles championships will run from Friday through Sunday.

Stein amassed a 17-6 singles record this year, competing against each opponent's top singles player, many of whom will also represent their schools at NCAAs.

The same goes for the doubles opponents encountered this year by Stein and Rupasinghe, who went 20-6 on the year, including winning the doubles title at the ITA New England Championships and taking fourth place at the ITA National Small College Championships in October.

Go to the NCAA Division III Tennis Championships Web site