Rangers Win Fourth-Straight Landmark Title

Box Score
MADISON, N.J. (April 30, 2011) – The Drew Men's Tennis team continued its conference dominance, winning their fourth Landmark Conference title and their eleventh-consecutive conference championship with a 5-4 win over Scranton (6-9) this afternoon.

Drew (8-6) won their 95th-straight conference game with the win. The Rangers will receive an automatic bid to the Division III NCAA Conference Tournament next week.

The match was the closest in four years of championship play within the Landmark. Unlike years past, every match held significant weight in the final outcome. The Rangers fell behind 2-1 after doubles play and stormed back to win four of the six singles matches to win the conference for an unprecedented, eleventh time.

The championship came down to the final singles match between Matt Imbo (Islip, N.Y./Islip) and Mike Pannone. Imbo took the first set 6-3 and fell 7-5 in the second set. The sophomore came up big in the final set, defeating Pannone, 6-3 to capture the Landmark Title..

In singles play the Rangers got wins from #Raul Smego# (Ponce, Puerto Rico/Academia Cristo Rey), Elliot Smego (Ponce, Puerto Rico/Academia Cristo Rey), Alex Belfiore (Virginia Water, England/TASIS) and Imbo. The only match to go to three sets was Imbo's as the Rangers won number one, two, four and six singles in straight sets.

Raul Smego kept his 2011 conference unbeaten streak alive, wining his ninth Landmark match of the season at number one singles 6-4, 6-4. Belfiore got revenge off a regular season loss to Tim McGurrin with a 6-4, 6-4 victory.

Drew qualified for their second-consecutive NCAA tournament and will await their first round matchup which will be announced on Monday.