With yet another win in the season, this time against visiting Franklin & Marshall, the Hopkins men’s tennis team took home the Centennial Conference crown for the fifth straight year. For senior captain Casey Blythe, the win holds even more importance: it’s another stepping stone towards advancing beyond the Sweet 16 for the first time in his career.
The News-Letter’s Athlete of the Week capped off his final regular season going 5-0 overall in the Centennial Conference Tournament to lead the Jays to another conference championship.
On the year, Blythe has compiled a 16-5 overall record, putting on not only an excellent single season performance, but also adding to an already outstanding four years.
At 55-22 for his career, Blythe sits third overall in total wins in Hopkins tennis history, behind only 2010 graduate David Maldow and fellow senior captain Andrew Wang.
But perhaps Blythe’s most impressive numbers are found in Centennial Conference play. In conference play, Blythe holds an astounding 17-1 career record and as a team, Hopkins has gone undefeated during his time on the squad.
That near perfect slate has proven invaluable to this team because when the chips are down and the Jays need a win in conference play, Blythe has been guaranteed to deliver. It is an accomplishment the senior is certainly proud of.
“Not many teams can say they went through conference play undefeated all four years,” he said. However, Blythe is quick to point out everyone involved in making the Blue Jays a Centennial dynasty.
Said Blythe, “It truly shows the great coaching and the great play from everyone year in and year out.”
The captain’s love for the game, his coaches and his teammates shines through when discussing the past four years at Hopkins.
“After this season is over I’m going to miss seeing my teammates everyday at practice, going on road trips and the atmosphere of competition,” the Louisville, Ky. native said. “Playing tennis for Hopkins has been one the best experiences of my life. I have met so many great guys that I will be friends with for life.”
At the same time, Blythe also knows he cannot get nostalgic too soon. The team still has plenty of season left, and although he admits to feeling a new sense of urgency at times, he tries not to let it alter his play.
“This is a team sport and as a captain I can’t let anything get in the way of leading this team toward our goal,” he said.
Even with all of his success so far, Blythe still covets the greatest prize out there: an NCAA Championship. In his three previous years here, Hopkins has made it to the NCAA Tournament each year, only to fall short in the second round and in the Sweet 16 twice.
Heading into the tournament, Blythe knows his team is capable of anything as long as they give it their all. While he knows their goal of finally breaking into the Elite Eight “would be a major accomplishment for the program,” an NCAA Championship trophy is also not too far off the mark.
Look out for Blythe and the rest of the Hopkins men’s tennis team as they make their way to Claremont, Calif. for the Division III NCAA Tournament.
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