St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
Binghamton
St. John’s to Open 2025 on the Road Against Binghamton and Niagara
1/23/2025 3:29:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Bearcats qualified for the 2024 NCAA Tournament
QUEENS, N.Y. (Jan. 23, 2025) – The St. John's men's tennis team will head to Upstate New York to open its 2025 dual-match slate with matches against Binghamton and Niagara. The Johnnies will face the Bearcats on Friday at 7 p.m. before taking on the Purple Eagles on Saturday at 1 p.m. Both matches will take place at the Lane-Starke Center in Binghamton, N.Y.
Friday's match against Binghamton will be streamed on the Cracked Racquet YouTube page. Daniel Westhoff and Mark Bey will have the call.
The Johnnies, coming off their fifth-consecutive appearance in the BIG EAST championship match, will begin the spring season on the road for the first time since opening the 2022 campaign with a 6-1 triumph over Quinnipiac.
The Red Storm won 21 matches last spring, eclipsing the 20-win mark for the second season in a row under seventh-year Head Coach Dillon Pottish. Reigning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, Armando Sotelo and two-time All-BIG EAST selection Carl Gustavsson are among eight members from the 2024 squad back in Queens for 2025. Pottish recently named juniors Adam Groves and Max Amling, along with senior Ignacio Vinas, team captains for the season, marking the first time in his tenure that Pottish has officially bestowed the honor.
Binghamton is coming off a 16-win season in 2024, bringing the program its first NEC conference title and first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013. The Bearcats return all but one piece from its 2024 championship roster, including its top three singles athletes, William Morais Binnie, Ronin Lotlikar and Filipe Costa.
St. John's is 8-1 all-time against Binghamton and has emerged victorious in each of the past six meetings. When the programs last met in dual-match competition, the Johnnies picked up a 4-3 win on Feb. 5, 2017. This is the first matchup between the two programs in Binghamton since a 5-2 St. John's triumph on April 10, 2014.
Niagara went 7-6 in 2024 and 2-4 in MAAC play. The Purple Eagles won its first two conference matches of the year against Mount St. Mary's and Siena before dropping its final four. Tanner Bedard, who won a team-best 15 matches last season, will lead Niagara this season under ninth-year head coach Erick Garcia.
Following this weekend's matches in Binghamton, the Red Storm will play in Queens for the first time in 2025 when it welcomes Quinnipiac on Wednesday, Jan. 29. First serve from Cunningham Park is slated for 10 a.m.
Players Mentioned
