YORK, Pa. - University of Mary Washington standouts Conor Smith and John James, both two-time CAC Men's Tennis Athletes of the Year and four-time first-team conference all-stars, were among the 19 Eagles named to the CAC Men's Tennis Silver Anniversary Team.
Entering its 25th year of varsity competition, the CAC selected a Silver Anniversary Team in 19 championship sports, primarily based on season-ending conference awards as voted by the conference coaches. Each Silver Anniversary Team will feature 25 former or current standouts. Men's and women's indoor track & field, which became a CAC championship sport in 2012, was combined with men's and women's outdoor track & field. The Silver Anniversary Golf Team has just eight members because the sport was added to the CAC championships list just seven years ago.
The teams will be announced early in the regular-season for its respective sport. Each Silver Anniversary Team honoree will receive a commemorative gift from the conference, and many will be recognized by their institution/alma mater at some time during the academic year.
The University of Mary Washington, a charter member of the CAC, led the conference with 153 current and former student-athletes on the Silver Anniversary Teams, including 40 in men's and women's tennis combined. Salisbury University, which joined the CAC in the 1994-95 athletic season, was second with 121 Silver Anniversary Team honorees. CAC charter members York College of Pa. (59) and St. Mary's College of Md. (35) were next in line for most Silver Anniversary Team honorees.
The CAC was organized as a six-team affiliation in 1989 and began championship competition with the winter sports during the 1990-91 season. Membership changes in the last decade ultimately created a 10-team conference that has become one of the strongest in NCAA Division III.
CAC teams have won 18 national team championships, and dozens of other teams have finished in among the top four in NCAA Division III competition.
In 2013-14, the CAC advanced more than 25 teams to post-season competition. Four CAC athletic programs finished among the Top 60 in the final Learfield Cup – the only conference in the Middle Atlantic Region to accomplish that feat. One team won a national championship (Salisbury University women's lacrosse) and three others played in the national championship game. Nineteen CAC teams won at least one game in NCAA Tournament competition and 10 advanced to at least the NCAA Sweet 16.
In the last two years, CAC student-athletes have combined to win six individual national championships at NCAA swimming or track & field competitions. The CAC student-athletes collected a record 11 Capital One Academic All-America awards in 2013-14 as well as an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship and the Josten's Award, recognizing a Division III women's basketball player for her achievements on the court, in the classroom and contributions to the community.
In the classroom, the CAC boasts 81 Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, including one Academic All-American of the Year award winner, 12 NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship winners, five NCAA Elite 89 award winners, two Honda year-end award winners and a Josten's Award winner in women's basketball. The CAC also features an annual Academic Honor Roll that recently honored nearly 1,200 students for their academic achievements. Thousands of other student-athletes have received Player of the Year, All-America or All-Region recognition in their respective sports.
Smith was the Rookie of the Year in 2000, collected first-team all-star awards in both singles and doubles, and was the CAC Men's Tennis Player of the Year during his junior and senior seasons. James started his career with the 2006 first-team All-CAC and Rookie of the Year awards, and completed his career with the 2007 and 2009 Player of the Year awards and four first-team All-CAC nods.
Mary Washington, which won 20 of the 24 CAC championships, also boast eight others on the Men's Tennis Silver Anniversary Team that collected first-team All-CAC recognition in each of their four years - Doug Neagle, Garret Moyer, Paul Bristow, Randy Loden, Kevin Loden, Dan Uyar, Tyler Carey and Will Apperson. Neagle (1996-97) and Carey (2013-14) both won a pair of Men's Tennis CAC Player of the Year awards.
Six Salisbury University players completed the CAC Men's Tennis Silver Anniversary team with a pair of four-year all-stars - Scott Burtzlaff (2010) and Evan Thomas (2010). Salisbury claimed the CAC men's tennis team title four times.
CAC Silver Anniversary Men's Tennis Team Honorees
Name, Last Year of Competition, Institution
Will Apperson, 2013, University of Mary Washington
Alex Blakhin, 2014, University of Mary Washington
Matt Bolen, 1993, University of Mary Washington
David Bristow, 2001, University of Mary Washington
Paul Bristow, 2006, University of Mary Washington
Scott Burtzlaff, 2010, Salisbury University
Tyler Carey, Active - 2015, University of Mary Washington
Evan Charles, Active - 2015, University of Mary Washington
Jon Clair, 2006, University of Mary Washington
John James, 2009, University of Mary Washington
Brendan Kincaid, 2008, Salisbury University
Kevin Loden, 2003, University of Mary Washington
Randy Loden, 2009, University of Mary Washington
David Lunding-Johannson, Active - 2015, University of Mary Washington
Ben Madarang, 2000, Salisbury University
Garrett Moyer, 1994, University of Mary Washington
Kaz Murata, 2011, University of Mary Washington
Doug Neagle, 1997, Salisbury University
Nick Peel, 2003, Salisbury University
Tim Ryan, 2004, University of Mary Washington
Matt Rogers, 2006, University of Mary Washington
Conor Smith, 2003, University of Mary Washington
Matt Strickler, 1993, University of Mary Washington
Evan Thomas, 2010, Salisbury University
Dan Uyar, 2004, University of Mary Washington