Elon men's tennis standout Damon Gooch, the first Elon tennis player to compete in the NCAA Division I singles championship, staged an upset win in the May 20 first-round match at College Station, Texas.
No. 86 Damon Gooch came back from a 4-6 loss in set one to upset the 37th-ranked Boris Conkic of Tennessee in the final two sets by scores of 6-4, 6-4. This marked the second nationally ranked player that Gooch has defeated in singles play this season.
Gooch is a senior from Gauteng, South Africa, and is majoring in business administration.
On May 21, Gooch was defeated in a tight contest against #17 ranked Conor Pollock of Texas A&M in the Field of 32. Gooch fell after having to play a tie-break in both sets 6-7 (8-10), 6-7 (1-7).
Gooch finished the spring with a 19-9 record in singles play including a 1-1 mark in the tournament.
Gooch also competed in the NCAA doubles tournament with partner Philip Nemec. The duo, ranked 36th nationally, was defeated by 14th-ranked Justin Kronauge and Steven Moneke of Ohio State.
“This has been a great experience for Damon and Philip and one that I am glad that they were able to have,” head coach Michael Leonard said. “It was good to see them able to compete with some of the best players in the nation and really hold their own in the match.”
All matches were held at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.