Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Tennis Releases 2010-11 Team Captains
9/15/2010 8:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Sept. 15, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell tennis head coach Rebecca Helt announced the Bison's 2010-11 team captains recently. Seniors Anton Kovic (Montreal, Quebec/Milton Academy (Mass.)) and Mark Malloy (Bronxville, N.Y./Hackley School) were named captains of the men's squad, while Lauren Lucido (Woodstock, Md./St. Paul's School for Girls), Dara Dwojewski (Chester, N.J./West Morris Mendham) and Lauren Rottkamp (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y./Cold Spring Harbor) were selected to lead the women's team.
One of two seniors on the team, Kovic begins his final season in the Orange and Blue with a 47-43 career doubles record and a 28-44 tally in singles after playing primarily at the No. 1 position last year. His doubles mark ranks him ninth all-time at Bucknell, while his combined total of 74 career wins is tied for 18th.
"I am honored for having the privilege of leading this team for the second straight year," said Kovic, who also served as a captain during his junior campaign. "I hope to learn from the mistakes that I made last year and create an even better overall experience this year. We have a very young but solid team, which makes it a very exciting time in Bucknell tennis history. Mark and I are fully confident that with a healthy team, we will definitely be one of the better teams in the league going into the Patriot League season."
Malloy returns to the Bison after missing last season while studying abroad with Semester at Sea and recovering from health issues. Despite having just two years under his belt, the senior is tied for 11th in program annals in singles wins (47-17) and 15th in doubles (38-24). His combined record of 85-41 is good for 13th all-time. As a sophomore, Malloy earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors after leading the team with 23 singles wins and a .656 singles winning percentage.
"Bucknell University is a very special school with a very special athletic program. To be honored as co-captain of the tennis team is very important to me, and I am thankful for my coaches and teammates for presenting this challenging yet rewarding opportunity," said Malloy. "Anton and I are very thankful for this opportunity, and we have been looking forward to our senior year for a long time. I am excited to see the freshmen grow as not only players, but friends, and our team is one that's foundation lies within our relationships between one another. We have a very talented team this year, and we are all close friends who have a common goal of winning the Patriot League Championship."
Lucido enters her senior season as Bucknell's top returning player on the women's side. The senior ranks in the top six in career singles (65-25), doubles (67-21) and combined (132-46) victories. She is also tied for sixth in program history with a .740 winning percentage. As a junior, Lucido set the program mark for longest doubles winning streak at 18 with former teammate Tania Varela. Although she has played primarily at the No. 2 singles position, Lucido's first singles record of 10-1 ranks eight in program history.
Lucido became a three-time all-league selection after earning first team honors last year. She joins Varela (2007-10), Veronica Brown (2003, 2005-06) and Paulina Gamboa (2007-09) as the only Bison to be named to at least three All-Patriot League teams during their careers.
"Being captain is a great responsibility that requires leadership both on and off the court," said Lucido, who is serving her second year as captain of the Bison. "My main goal for this year is to lead by setting an example for the team through hard work, dedication and most of all, a great attitude. I'm excited to see what our team is capable of achieving this year and to take what I learned from my experiences as captain last year and apply it to help make this year the best one yet."
Dwojewski has started to ink her name in the Bucknell record books as well. Despite missing portions of the last season due to injury, the senior is tied for 19th in doubles victories (28-34) and 24th in combined victories (59-59).
"Being one of the captains of a team that has been such a large part of my overall experience here at Bucknell is truly an honor. I know this team means a great deal to all of us, and I really look forward to working together in order to accomplish our goals for this year," said Dwojewski. "We hope that we can create a positive experience for the team through achieving goals of increasing team unity and working hard to maintain our reputation as one of the top teams in the Patriot League."
Rottkamp has posted a career singles record of 36-25 through her first three seasons in the Orange and Blue. That wins total ranks her in a tie for 17th all-time at Bucknell. Rottkamp finished the 2009-10 campaign by winning nine of her final 11 singles matches.
"I am honored to be named one of the three captains this year with Lauren and Dara," said Rottkamp. "A captain should set good examples for all her teammates and help them reach their highest potential and goals. I am very optimistic and so excited to have an amazing year where we can push ourselves individually and as a team. I believe that if we all work together every day, we can reach our goal of being Patriot League Champions."
Both tennis teams open their season this weekend with the women hosting the Bucknell Invitational Friday-Sunday, Sept. 17-19 at the Varsity Tennis Courts. Play on Friday begins at 2 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday get underway at 9 a.m. The Bison men will travel to Providence, R.I., for the Brown Invitational Friday through Sunday as well.
