Since collegiate tennis is currently not in season, athletes in the tournament competed individually rather than for their respective schools.
On the men's side, Dan Freeman '10 beat Jeff Friedman '10 by a score of 6-2, 6-3 to claim the men's title, while Molly Scott '11 defeated Mary Beth Winingham '10, 6-4, 6-1, to claim the championship. Both Freeman and Scott entered the tournament as top seeds.
Scott dominated her competition, refusing to concede even one set throughout the entire tournament. In her quarterfinal and semifinal matches, the Big Green athlete did not surrender a single game to her opponent.
Dartmouth athletes also fell just short of claiming victories in both doubles championships. In the men's finals, Friedman and Andy Kim '10 lost 8-5 to Andrew Bruhn of Georgetown and Anton Nikolov of UNC-Wilmington. In the women's final, Scott and Georgiana Smyser '11 fell to Emily Harman and Chelsea Jones, both from Syracuse, by a score of 8-3.
"It was a really good showing for Dartmouth tennis," Friedman said of the tournament.
Kim commented on the difficulties of getting into the mindset of playing a competitive match.
"After the first match it was fine, but any first match is tough because it's just completely different from hitting around," Kim said. "Most people play a lot tighter in matches, and I think that was the case for all of us."
On the women's side, fourth-seeded Jesse Adler '10 also had a solid tournament, reaching the semifinals and playing two sets to teammate Winingham before losing on a match-deciding 10-point tiebreaker, 6-4, 4-6, 6.
The tournament, which was open to college and high school players, attracted players from throughout the surrounding area.
"It was mostly kids from the Northeast. There were definitely some good players in the draw," Friedman said. "There were a lot of D-III players, along with some D-I guys from the Ivies and schools like George Washington."
Although the Big Green tennis team is not allowed to be coached over the summer, players have been working out and hitting regularly.
"It's easier practicing up here because you always have someone to hit with," Friedman said. "We hit three times a week and lift twice a week, so we've been able to stay in shape."
Kim said that the men's team will also be traveling to other tournaments in the region to stay sharp.
"We're going to play in tournaments in Boston and Burlington," he said. "These tournaments have a totally different feel, and it feels like you're back in juniors again. You're used to doing things one way in college tennis, but I like the tournament atmosphere, and I think it's a really nice change of pace."
The ITA Summer Circuit was begun in 1993 by the University of Indiana's women's tennis coach Lin Loring, who wanted to provide college and junior players with an opportunity to compete over the summer months.
The circuit consists of four tournaments in seven regions across the country. All of the tournaments are sanctioned by the ITA, the governing body of collegiate tennis.
The next ITA summer circuit event in the East Region will be held from July 19 to 22 at State College, Penn. at Penn State University.
