Amidst an impressive and even dominating performance for the No. 14 nationally ranked Bates men's tennis team at last weekend's Middlebury Invitational, senior captain Rob Crampton stood alone as the team's highest achiever.
Before late Thursday afternoon, the Bates men’s tennis team knew one of its captains had essentially won the A Singles Flight of the annual Middlebury Invitational — just not yet which one.
The prestigious title was settled before a home crowd at Wallach Tennis Center, with Crampton (Wilton, Conn.) edging senior teammate and fellow captain Matt Bettles (Taunton, England) 7-5, 6-3.
Crampton and Bettles’ singles play guaranteed Bates three flight titles out of a possible six at the season-opening tournament in Middlebury, Vt. The Bobcat teammates also won the A Doubles Flight, and sophomores Pierre Planche (Natick, Mass.) and Henry Lee (Sag Harbor, N.Y.) claimed the B Doubles Flight crown.
Crampton and Bettles were All-America doubles quarterfinalists in the 2012 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championships, while Crampton reached the semifinals of the singles championship.
