BLOOMSBURG, Pa. (April 21, 2011) – Joel Irwin is returning to his roots just in time to bookend his senior year with a pair of special achievements. (BOXSCORE)
Before Irwin became one of the best linebackers in recent KU history, he was a tennis standout at Bishop Shanahan High School in Chester County. His father is a tennis coach. Now, Irwin is working the kinks out and finding his tennis groove. He's having a blast.
Irwin and his partner Andrew Zhu (Toronto, ON/Northview) helped the Kutztown University men's tennis team defeat Mercyhurst College, 5-0, at Bloomsburg University in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) semifinal match Thursday afternoon. With the win, the Golden Bears (12-4 overall) advances to Friday's PSAC title contest against host Bloomsburg starting at 9 a.m.
It was also KU's 22nd straight victory, including postseason, over a PSAC opponent.
“We played well as a tandem,” Irwin said. “We started off slow, but we were able to pick it up as the match went along. I was happy we finished strong and I am looking forward to competing for a PSAC title. It was an all-around good day for everybody.”
After his doubles match, Irwin was walking around chilling with his hat backwards as he sported his maroon-and-white sweatsuit. Irwin is just one of the guys on the supremely deep and talented Kutztown men's tennis squad. Irwin and Zhu sprinted away from Mercyhurst's Eric Drusko and Spencer Kilpatrickby winning the final five points for an 8-3 victory.
Kaushik Das (Guwahati, Assam/National Open School) and Arijit Goswami (Kolkata, India/LSA Kolkata) defeated Jorn Van der Veer and Keith Whittingham in a thriller, Juan Gutierrez (San Jose, Costa Rica/SEK International School) and Rushi Amin (Orefield, PA/Lake Brantley) had their hands full with Omar Ammouni and Adam Marnik before prevailing, 8-6. Zhu and Cameron O'Donnell (Allentown, PA/Parkland) made sure the Golden Bears finished early by winning their singles matches by 6-0, 6-0 counts.
“I was happy with how all three doubles teams performed today,” Kutztown head coach Suresh Ramamurthi said. “Our main goal against Mercyhurst was to have a good start. Guys stepped it up big time. Having Joel on the team has been an added bonus. The guys really respect him and he's brought plenty of enthusiasium to the team.”
During the football season, Irwin was one of the captains and hardest hitters in the PSAC. He was the leading tackler for the Kutztown football team during its historic 10-2 season that ended with a trip to the NCAA Division II Super Region One playoffs. He was a first team All-PSAC East linebacker.
Now, Irwin most likely will get an opportunity to compete in the NCAA Division II tennis playoffs as the Golden Bears were ranked fourth in the latest Atlantic Regional rankings. The Golden Bears already own victories over several teams regionally ranked. However, he'll settle for being a member of Kutztown's third straight PSAC title squad if it can get past its rival.
“I feel pretty good and its fun playing because I've been away so long,” Irwin said. “I got sick of sitting at home. Plus I always wanted to play. This is a good experience and I want to teach tennis in the future. The team has been really supportive and nice. They're a good group of guys. They weren't upset that I joined the team late.”
Das, for one, was happy to have Irwin become a member of the team. He had heard great things about his game from Sharma. Like fictional character Jesus Shuttleworth in a popular basketball movie, Irwin has got plenty of game on the tennis court even though he's a little bigger than most tennis players. Irwin is also looking forward to graduating in May and earning his degree in sports management.
Kutztown will turn its attention to Bloomsburg, a team it defeated for the 2009 PSAC title. The Golden Bears claimed a 6-3 victory over the Huskies last Thursday in the regular season finale. The players are focused and excited for the challenge of trying to earn their 10th PSAC crown in the last 12 years.
“It's really nice to be in this position again,” Das said. “We know it's not going to be easy, but we're looking forward to the opportunity we have as a team.”
--KU--
