Curtis Allen is AMCC Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year

PITTSBURGH—In only its second year of NCAA Div. III play, the Baron tennis team proved to be one of the most competitive in its conference. With an overall season record of 9-1 and walking into the conference championship with only one conference loss, the Barons proved to be a threat to three-time championship defenders Penn State Behrend.

Winning the tiebreaker that pushed them ahead of the 18 points they matched with Behrend, the Barons walked away with the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference championship crown on April 16. It is only fitting, then, that the AMCC recognized numerous Franciscan tennis players, including the coach.

The AMCC 2011 Men’s Tennis All-Conference Team and award winners were announced on Wednesday by the AMCC commissioner Donna Ledwin, with Franciscan and Penn State Behrend sweeping the awards. Freshman Paul Jarzynka earned Newcomer of the Year while head coach Curtis Allen was recognized as Coach of the Year. Jarzynka, Brian Robau, Leonel Lacayo, and Luke Merry were all given the first team all-conference recognition. Lacayo, Merry, Jarzynka, and Robau were also named to the second team all-conference.

Clinching player of the year was Behrend’s Elliot Blackstone, a consistent threat in the conference all four years of his varsity play. This is Blackstone’s fourth straight season of earning Player of the Year, and he is the only individual to accomplish this feat in any AMCC sport.  Blackstone shared the Player of the Year accolade as a freshman while also earning the Newcomer of the Year award. He never lost a match in singles and lost just one match in doubles in four years of conference competition.

Jarzynka was recognized as Newcomer of the Year for his performance as the no. 2 seed in singles and, with partner Merry, runner-up at no. 1 in doubles. Coach Allen earned Coach of the Year accolades for his efforts in leading the Barons to their first ever championship title in only their second year of existence as a varsity team.

Allen was confident in his team from the start, and he remembered before the year starting expressing his confidence to his team by telling them they had a good shot at winning the AMCC championship. “They thought I was crazy,” Allen said. “They told me they remember me saying that and [they remembered] not believing me. They proved me right and we shocked everyone. It was an amazing season.”