Alex Wagner
Assistant Sports Editor
The Bison’s top men’s tennis doubles team of Gregg Cohenca ’12 and Evan Zimmer ’13 is currently ranked No. 51 in the nation by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
The two, who began playing together in the fall of 2011, quickly found that they were able to work together well, helping them climb to a position among the elite doubles teams in the nation.
“We played all the fall tournaments together and have meshed since,” Cohenca said.
A key to their success this year has been their ability to stick to the basics.
“Sticking to our fundamentals and tactics [has] brought us our success thus far. We stay positive for every single point and focus on setting up points to end in our favor. Trying to stay completely relaxed and confident out there has propelled us to beat many teams, such as Penn State,” Zimmer said.
In fact, the Feb. 11 victory over Penn State’s Jason Lee and Russell Bader, who are currently ranked No. 25 in the nation, proved early in the season that Cohenca and Zimmer deserve national recognition.
But the hard work to get to the top began for the two of them long before they started seeing themselves in the national rankings this year. Their career records are a testament to their patient approach. Cohenca is currently ranked fourth for the Bison in terms of all-time doubles victories, with a record of 64-46. Zimmer is not far behind in a tie for 12th with a 48-24 record.
In addition to their constant focus on the fundamentals, the teammates also cite their unity off the court as a strong point of their play.
“Off the court, we are good friends, which helps during those crucial moments in the match,” Zimmer said.
As the season progresses, they hope to continue the short-term thinking that has gotten them to where they are today.
“Our goal on the court this season is to play one point at a time. Once that point is over, win or loss, we move on to the next point,” Cohenca said.
There is little doubt that if Cohenca and Zimmer stick to the principles that they have been employing, they will continue to do great things this season.
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