HAMILTON – The men's tennis team is set to return to the courts for the first time in 2024 with a trip to West Point for the three-day Army Invitational. After a 3-5 Patriot League record and 5-16 overall mark in the 2023 spring season, the Raiders put together an exceptional fall slate this year. 

"Our men have a chip on their shoulder or maybe a boulder on their shoulder after the brutal last season," Head Coach Bobby Pennington said. "We have a veteran, blue-collar ballclub with a lot of experience, grit, and pride. We had an outstanding fall season highlighted by our final decisive win against Wagner. We are going back to our roots with our logistics, swagger, tradition, and winning." 

The Raiders will be vaulted into the spring season after their final duel of the fall saw a decisive 6-1 Colgate victory. Pennington's bunch saw contributions from three different class levels in the win, a testament to the depth the Raiders bring to the court this season.  

Josh Israel will play in a number of meaningful matches for the Raiders after taking a major leap at the start of his junior campaign. He picked up six wins across singles and doubles play this fall and triumphed in at least one singles match in each of Colgate's four fall bouts. 

He also mounted an upset of Lehigh's Marc Blekham, returning Patriot League Rookie of the Year, at the Villanova Invite, and took down 2023 Northeast 10 First-Team Selection Peter Hatton at the Binghamton Invitational. 

Israel will captain the squad this year along with senior Mike Thomas, who brings vast experience to the group having appeared in over 30 matches in his Colgate career. 

The captains are joined by four additional members of the Raiders' deep junior class highlighted by a number of key returners, including Ben Graham, Tejas Gupta, Benito Vlassis and Mikey Weitz. 

Second-year standout Aidan Chung is also sure to make an impact on the Raider roster this spring coming off an excellent fall season with classmate John Fazli. Back in September, Fazli and Chung won their doubles flight at the Villanova Invitational. 

Sophomore Aidan Lee proved to be a formidable force in singles and in doubles when partnered up with Graham, where the pair won three matches across three invites. 

Two newcomers will join the fold this season in Parker McGowan and Jerome Falcon who played well as a duo in the Binghamton Invite winning two-straight matches. 

The season-opening Army Invite kicks off in West Point at 1 p.m. on Friday with the tournament continuing through Sunday afternoon.