2008 Woodie Awards
SBU's National Champion
Josh Collins
Issue date: 10/21/04 Section: Feature
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Comment on this article Dante Cipulli |
Cipulli faced Joe Epkey of Southern India and won 6-0, 6-1 to capture the NCAA Division II singles championship, becoming the second player in SBU history to do so.
Cipulli commented on the experience at the ITA nationals, "The fact that we went to nationals was great. Doing good in nationals was even better. You always want to be the best and that means you have to beat the best." Teammate and doubles partner senior Johan Nortje added, "No one is there because of luck. You know if you're not playing well you can lose to anyone."
After capturing the Division II championship, Cipulli now had the opportunity to do what no other Bearcat had done before--win the ITA Small College Singles Super Bowl Championship. The top players from Division II, III, the NAIA, and junior colleges all compete for this prize.
Cipulli defeated K. Casey of UC-Santa Cruz 6-3, 6-2 in the semi-finals. Continuing his impressive wins, Cipulli defeated Steven Lockwood of Fresno City Junior College 6-1, 6-3 to capture the ITA Super Bowl Singles Championship.
SBU Head Coach John Bryant saw the historical nature of Cipulli's achievements, "In singles, Al Jordan won the NAIA championship in 1983 and Michael Obertop won the Division II singles title in 1994. In addition to winning the Division II singles title, Dante is the first of our players to win the ITA Small College Singles Super Bowl. Dante is playing on a level by himself, and we've had our share of great players over the past 39 years."
Cipulli was not the only success story from the tournament for the 'Cats. Teaming with Cipulli was Johan Nortje, the #22 ranked Division II doubles team as of Spring 2004. Nortje and Cipulli were finally able to represent SBU after two remarkable doubles runs by former teammates Mark Eori and Andras Bori who captured the ITA Division II championship in 2002 and placed third in 2003.
They defeated Kyle Dougherty/Brian Bogus of Bloomsburg 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the semi-final round. In a tight match, Nortje / Cipulli fell to Robert Jendelund/Dale White of Armstrong Atlantic 6-4, 7-5. Despite this setback, the duo rebounded in the third place match to victory.
"I said last year that Johan and Dante were the best team in Division II in doubles with the top duo being their teammates, Andras Bori and Mark Eori, who won the national championship in doubles just two years ago. Dante and Johan are quality student athletes on any level" Bryant said.
Nortje said of the team's chemistry, "We all get along together; there's no personal jealousy. We all root for each other to do well. Your teammates become your family. You have someone you can go to. We've had a lot of other people who have been supportive as well."
Cipulli agreed, "We couldn't have done what we did without our teammates and coach. We play not only for ourselves, but also for our school. Some people think that tennis is not a team sport, and they would be wrong. Our whole team practices hard and comes ready to play. We make each other better."
This teamwork has made SBU one of the top Division II tennis programs in the nation. Cipulli hopes to see this success continue as his ITA victories earned him a spot in the ITA NCAA Singles Championships, held on Nov. 4-7 in Ann Arbor, Mich. He will compete with the top 31 Division I players. Bryant is optmistic, "Dante has grown so much - not only as a student athlete, but also as a person and a leader. We know he can play and win on the NCAA Division I level. Out of the 32 players that will be competing in the Division I Nationals at the University of Michigan, you will not be able to pick out the Division II player (Dante). A player of Dante's caliber definitely fits in with this elite group."
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