On Saturday, April 12, the men’s tennis team won the Southern Conference regular season title.
It was a three-way tie between Mercer, Samford and Eastern Tennessee State University, but the team still counted this win as a huge accomplishment for the program.
The team was able to put the other two winners aside and soak in the win of the regular season before starting their conference play.
Parker Free and Hayden Menon, two freshmen on the tennis team, have seen the intensity and hard work the team has put in to win this title.
“Our team has been working so hard, I think we knew we had a good chance,” said Free.
Winning this regular season title was the first time the Bulldogs pulled through in the last 12 years.
“It was history for us,” Free and Menon said.
The team has worked hard to accomplish this title.
“Knowing what was at stake, we haven’t won in twelve years, so we gave everything we had,” Menon said.
In March, Free and Menon commented on how they loved the team environment, and it was even considered their favorite part about the team.
Now, as they are in full swing at the conference championship, they have noticed the intensity the team has displayed during matches but the camaraderie and friendship that the environment still fosters.
“We want this so bad, but when we are together we can still joke around,” said Menon.
Just because they won the regular season title, doesn’t mean they are finished. Next, they compete for the Conference Champion title.
“It’s harder to take one match at a time,” Menon said as they are now competing for the championship.
The team’s goal is to get better each year, winning the regular season title and competing for the championship title means that the program can only get better as these freshmen grow in the program.
Free and Menon understand the legacy they have at Samford to carry out, but they know to live in the moment as, “history makes itself.”
And history was made, as the bulldogs won the Southern Conference Championship title against Furman, 4-3.
Staff Writer
