SLIAC Tennis: '00s Blue Jays Soar

Over the next few weeks, we will be taking a closer look at the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference spring sports history. We will look at the sports by each decade, examining the 30 years of SLIAC history, culminating with a send-off for SLIAC seniors. Today we look at SLIAC Men's and Women's Tennis in the 2000s.

Westminster College was the only other program than Principia College to win a SLIAC Tournament title in the '90s, capturing a pair of women's titles. The Blue Jays soared even higher in the 2000s, adding another 11 combined men's and women's titles to their trophy case. 

Westminster opened up the new decade by ending Principia's long reign on the men's side, snapping a streak of nine titles for Principia. Westminster completed its only undefeated season in 2001, going 7-0 under head coach Steven Johns. They rolled off a 19-7 record over the next two years with Dann Nelson at the helm, including recording a program-record 13 wins in 2003. 

Then Jeff Borengasser took over both Blue Jays programs; leading the Blue Jays to the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis National Tournament in the final three seasons of the decade with Myles Yockeley and Chris Claypool leading the way. Borengasser was named the SLIAC Men's Tennis Coach of the Year four times in the decade and led the women's program to 10 wins on three different occasions, the only times they have notched double-digit wins in a season, and an appearance in the 2009 NCAA Division III National Tournament. He led the Blue Jays to men's titles in 2000, '01, '02, '03, '04, '06, '07, '08, and '09 and women's titles in '06 and '09. From 2004-10 Borengasser won 116 combined matches as head coach of the two programs. He was inducted into the SLIAC Hall of Fame in 2017.

After winning seven women's titles in the '90s Principia added another eight in the '00s, cementing their dynasty. Lyn Gerber and Keith Pierson took turns leading the Panther program with each being named the SLIAC Women's Coach of the Year multiple times. The Panther women's program starred a pair of multiple time Player of the Year award winners during the decade. Joy Tegtmeyer won the first two awards in conference history and Kathryn Pomeroy became the first, and only, player to win three consecutive Player of the Year awards; doing so from 2005-2007. 

The Panther men slipped in a title in the 2005 season, when they totaled 48 points in the SLIAC Tournament; the second-most in conference history under that format. The program was steered by a pair of Hall of Famers. Ben Crandell won back-to-back SLIAC Player of the Year awards to start the decade off and was a regionally ranked player that participated in three NCAA Division III National Tournaments and was inducted into the SLIAC Hall of Fame in 2013. Michael LeVan etched his name in the record book by winning three straight Player of the Year awards from 2004-06. LeVan was undefeated in singles play against conference competition during his career and was inducted into the SLIAC Hall of Fame in 2016. Paul Sanderude would capture one more Player of the Year award for Principia in 2009, giving the program six such awards during the decade.

After managing just one winning season in the program's first 14 years the Webster University women's team started their turn around under coach Cindy Yonker. Yonker guided the Gorloks to a winning record in each of her four years as head coach, starting a run of 14 straight seasons without a losing record. Gorlok Erin Rubinelli took home SLIAC Women's Player of the Year honors in 2004 while a trio of Gorloks in Sarah Truckey (2003), Raquel Rothermel (2006), and Kelsey O'Keefe (2007) all earned Newcomer of the Year during the decade.

The '00s also saw several individual standouts including MacMurray's Ivan Czwan, the 2001 SLIAC Men's Newcomer of the Year and Edgar Wainaina, the 2002 Newcomer of the Year; Fontbonne's Angela Linn, the 2002 SLIAC Women's Newcomer of the Year; Maryville's Matt Schueter, the 2008 SLIAC Men's Player of the Year and Erin Kinder, the 2001 SLIAC Women's Newcomer of the Year and 2003 SLIAC Women's Player of the Year; Webster's Alex McGrath, the 2006 Men's Newcomer of the Year; and Eureka's Meredith Lynch, the 2009 Women's Player of the Year. 

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