King's varsity men's tennis team has been one of the college's most successful programs. The Monarchs have ranked as one of the most consistent squads in the MAC for many years under the direction of veteran head coach Bill Eydler, a King's College graduate, who is 457-337 entering the 2017-18 campaign.
Since the MAC realigned into the Freedom League and Commonwealth League format in 1994, King's has enjoyed a high level of success. In 1996, King's won the MAC Freedom League title and finished second overall in the MAC Championships. Eydler also coached the team to a second-place finish in the MAC Freedom League in 1994 and 1995. Prior to the current conference structure, King's won three consecutive MAC Northeast titles from 1991-93.
In 2000, the Monarchs won their last 14 matches and captured both the MAC Freedom and MAC overall championships, while Vlad Handl '00, won the MAC Singles Championships. Eydler was then rewarded with MAC Freedom "Coach of the Year" honors. King's was then second in the MAC Championships in 2001 as the Monarchs went 16-6. The Monarchs were also second in the MAC Freedom Conference in 2002.
In 2005, Mike Portonova '07 concluded a perfect campaign by going 24-0 and winning the MAC Freedom Conference championship. Portonova proved his dominance by winning 23 straight matches without dropping a set as he closed out the season by winning an astounding 47 consecutive sets. He dropped just one set all season long.
He then followed up in 2006 with his second straight conference title and a 48-1 record after two seasons. Portonova also teamed with Nick Hojsack to win the 2006 MAC doubles title. In 2007, Portonova won a third straight MAC title to conclude his career with a 71-2 singles record. Portonova and Hojsack also registered a second straight MAC doubles title, concluding their season with a 17-3 mark as the Monarchs finished the season 15-6 and finished second in the 2007 Freedom Conference Team Tournament. In 2011, Chris Cozzillio added to the program's list of achievements by winning the 2011 MAC Singles Championship in the number-one flight.
The 2013-14 season saw the Monarchs finish second in the Freedom Conference Team Tournament for the third straight year. Individually, Jake Rohring won the MAC third flight singles title while the Monarchs added three singles runnerups and one doubles team placing second. King's would add one singles and one doubles runner-up finish in both the 2014 and 2015 MAC Individual Championships. In 2016, freshman Tyler Millan won the MAC singles title in the #3 flight and teamed with Luke Whitenight to place second at number-two doubles.
Consistency has been a staple for King's tennis as the Monarchs have qualified for the Freedom Conference Tournament every year since 2006. The Kong's Men's Tennis Invitational has also run annual since the 2012 Fall campaign.
The Monarchs spend a week competing in Florida each spring, including matches against a few NCAA Division II and NAIA Division II programs. The King's College Tennis Booster Club has also sponsored a fall tournament to prepare players for the demanding spring schedule.
Beginning with the 2010-11 school year, the Middle Atlantic Conferences began holding its individual tournament in the fall season while the team championships take place during the spring campaign.
With a long-time tradition of excellence, King's tennis program stands among the most consistent in the MAC. King's plays its home matches at Kirby Park, a 10-court facility which underwent a facelift in August 2008 as the courts were resurfaced while the overhead lights were replaced.
In the classroom, the team also has a strong tradition of success as 85 players have earned MAC All-Academic honors since 1993. Most recently, Jake Rohring was named the 2014 MAC Men's Tennis Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year while Stephen Brand earned the honor in 2015.
Last updated 6/14/2017
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