The 3.0er of the Year - Travis Haselswerdt
(Force)
Singles Player of the Year - Scott Hovey
(LaTuchie)
Doubles Player of the Year - John Prince
(Force)
Doubles Team of the Year - James McGlone & John Prince
(Force)
Captain of the Year - Jeremy Benjamin
(Force)
Special 3.0ers of the Year - Craig Warner & Stephen Wilt
(Towpath)
With the most wins (30) for the third year in a row, Travis three-peated as The 3.0er of the Year, while teammate John, setting the all-3.0-time record for doubles wins in a season (26), enjoyed his own repeat on the doubles courts, taking the Doubles Player of the Year award. John didn't play doubles alone, however, and thanks to the fantastic league and playoff play of his best friend and partner James, the pair were named Doubles Team of the Year (also a repeat for John!). Leading them to their success, both individually and as a team that qualified to Nationals with the best every 18+ finish (8th) was the Captain of the Year, Jeremy! The Force clean-sweep of postseason awards looked to be complete as Travis had the most singles wins of any 3.0er, and in fact became only the second 3.0er ever to hit the 30 win mark as well (Mayu Si, '18), but thanks to the 3.0 legend that is LaTuchie's Scott, said sweep was prevented thanks to Scott's dominating league season in which he lost but one match (!) to bring much pride to his LaTuchie dojo as he rightly won the Singles Player of the Year award!
Narrowly winning the fan vote, Travis' impressive display of longevity in earning 30 3.0 wins on the 3.0 season, and doing so in league, playoff, and tournament play helped put him atop the D.F.O. rankings as, historically, the D.F.O. 3.0er of the Year award had always been given to the player with the most singles wins on the season. Huzzah for Travis!
HOWEVER, those who actually know anything about tennis were just as impressed with Scott's amazing undefeated league season, in which he dominated all that dared cross his 3.0 tennis path, as he enjoyed one of the best winning percentages a singles player has ever enjoyed in our recent memory (and our memory is super, super recent). Indeed, Scott notched the second most singles wins in 2021, and hardly anyone truly believed that, head-to-head, renowned pusher Travis could actually defeat the legit tennis skills of LaTuchie's favorite son. Huzzah for avoiding conflict!
James and John, the winningest tandem in Ohio, rightly took home their award while John enjoyed his second straight Doubles Team and Doubles Player of the Year award.
Speaking of doubles, Craig, one of the winningest individual players in 3.0 history, and Stephen, one of the winningest team players in 3.0 history, combined their amazingly positive 3.0 attributes in 2021 to form the peanut butter and jelly version of the ultimate tennis doubles tandem! Scrumptiously leading their Towpath team to an incredibly tasty and successful season of individual and team success, the duo not only went undefeated in league play but did the same in playoff play, doing so to the tune of an undefeated double figures win total en route to going where no 3.0er has ever gone before - to the National Championship 1st place podium! Indeed, this veteran duo, with 14 years of combined 3.0 tennis greatness, ended the 3.0 season in style, bringing back a National Championship to O-H-I-O, the first ever 3.0 team or players to ever accomplish said feat! How can that not be special? Thus, with their play on the courts and their historic run, Craig and Stephen entered the annals of 3.0 history with one more accomplishment ... being named D.F.O. Special 3.0ers of the Year!
In a crowded field of amazing captains, Jeremy stood out as he led his rag-tag crew of flameouts, mercenaries, and neer-do-wells to heights they had never been, not only repeating his Flight and District championship from the season before, but leading his Rocky River Force team to State and Midwest glory as well. When it was all said and done, Captain Jeremy had somehow led his team to the best ever 18+ finish Ohio had ever seen, earning him the most illustrious D.F.O. award the D.F.O. awards to captains - the D.F.O. 3.0 Captain of the Year award!
Player of the Year Nominees
* = Years at 3.0; Nomination Criteria; Complete Player Statistics
Tournament Champions
Scott Bourbeau*1 (Rossford)
Tournament: Launchpad Champion (3-0)
League: 3-1 singles, 3-1 doubles, Flight Champion
Playoffs: 1-1 doubles
Overall Record: 10-3
Nicholas Fasola*1 (Mentor)
Tournament: Wooster Aspen Champion (3-0), Green Open Semi-Finalist (1-1)
League: 5-2 singles, 3-0 doubles
Overall Record: 12-3
Travis Haselswerdt*5 (Force)
Tournament: Akron Open Champion (3-0), Winter Akron Open Doubles 3rd Place (3-2), Summer Akron Open Doubles 3rd Place (2-1), NTRP Doubles 3rd Place (1-2), NTRP Singles (1-1)
League: 11-4 singles, Flight Champion
Playoffs: 7-3 singles, 2-0 doubles, Midwest Ohio State Championships Champion, Nationals 8th Place
Overall Record: 30-13
George Roth*4 (Springside)
Tournament: Green Open Champion (3-0)
League: 2-0 singles, 0-2 doubles
Overall Record: 5-2
Tournament Qualifiers
Benjamin Young*4 (NCRC)
Tournament: Akron Open Vice-Champion (1-1), Green Open Consolation Champion (2-1) Wooster Aspen Vice-Champion (1-1)
League: 4-10, Flight Champion
Overall Record: 15-15
USTA/MIDWEST Ohio State Championships Champion Qualifiers
David Garofoli*7 (QRC)
League: 5-1 singles, 6-1 doubles, Flight Champion
Playoffs: 4-2 doubles, Midwest Ohio State Championships Champion
Overall Record: 15-4
Travis Haselswerdt*5 (Force)
Tournament: Akron Open Champion (3-0)
League: 11-4 singles, Flight Champion
Playoffs: 7-3 singles, 2-0 doubles, Midwest Ohio State Championships Champion, Nationals 8th Place
Tournament: Akron Open Doubles 3rd Place (2-1), Akron Open Doubles 3rd Place (2-1), NTRP Doubles 3rd Place (1-2)
Overall Record: 30-13
Scott Hovey*2 (LaTuchie)**
League: 14-0 singles, 1-1 doubles, Flight Champion
Playoffs: 3-1 singles
Tournament: Akron Open Doubles Champions (3-0)
Overall Record: 21-2
**Didn't actually qualify per D.F.O. nomination rules, but qualified for nomination due to legendary 3.0 status.
Michael Lee*5 (QRC)
League: 5-0 singles, 1-0 doubles, Flight Champion
Playoffs: 4-2 singles, Midwest Ohio State Championships Champion
Overall Record: 10-2
Doubles Team of the Year Nominees
Tournament Champions
Scott Hovey*2/Patrick Renz*3 (Unattached)
Tournament: Akron Open Doubles Champions (3-0)
Overall Record: 3-0
Tournament Qualifiers
Sebastian Birceanu*1/Leon Crumpler*7 (NCRC)
Tournament: Green Open Vice-Champions (1-1)
League: 1-1
Overall Record: 2-2
T Bortz*7/Keith Ginnetti*6 (Green)
Tournament: Green Open Consolation Champions (1-1)
League: 2-3
Overall Record: 3-4
Chad Duff*6/Jansen Meyers*5 (QRC)
Tournament: NTRP Championships Vice-Champions (4-1)
League: 3-0, Flight Champions; Playoffs: 0-1
Overall Record: 7-2
Erik Wasowski*1/Benjamin Young (Unattached)
Tournament: Akron Open Doubles Vice-Champions (2-1)
Overall Record: 2-1
USTA/MIDWEST Ohio State Championship Champions
Chad Duff*6/Jansen Meyers*5 (QRC)
Tournament: NTRP Championships Vice-Champions (4-1)
League: 3-0, Flight Champions; Playoffs: 0-1
Overall Record: 7-2
Chad Duff*6/Michael Zink*3 (QRC)
League: 3-0, Flight Champions; Playoffs: 5-0
Overall Record: 8-0
David Garofoli*7/Jansen Meyers*5 (QRC)
League: 1-0, Flight Champions; Playoffs: 4-1
Overall Record: 5-1
James McGlone*5/John Prince*4 (Force)
League: 7-2, Flight Champions; Playoffs: 9-2, Nationals 8th Place
Overall Record: 16-4
Stephen Wilt*7/Craig Warner*7 (Towpath)
League: 5-0, Flight Champions; Playoffs: 6-0; National Champions
Overall Record: 11-0
Voting Notes
In singles, the voters were in a dilemma as there existed several outstanding nominees. David from Dayton, was a key player and captain on a championship team as was his teammate Michael. Scott, Nicholas, and George all enjoyed maiden tournament championships while well-traveled veteran Benjamin had one of his best tournament seasons to date. Travis, though, looked to take the early lead, for his well-known ability to play as much as the schedule would allow helped him lead the entire 3.0 Ohio universe in matches played and thus, sometimes luckily, wins as well. Indeed, as only the second ever recorded 3.0er to enjoy 30 or more wins during a season (Mayu Si, 2018), the well-known slicer and dicer of the 3.0 courts looked to be a lock to nail down The 3.0er of the Year award and the Singles Player of the Year award as well. Moreover, he enjoyed tournament and playoff success as well, winning the Akron Open (thanks to some wonky scoring) and playing a (small) role on the best Ohio 18+ team of all-time. OF ALL-TIME. SLAM DUNK! Or an overhead smash, if you will.
But like some overhead smashes, they sometimes end in the net. Indeed, some voters asked, "Wait, what about the actual best tennis player in Ohio? That guy outta LaTuchie?" The D.F.O. is nothing if not not not not democratic in nature (quadruple negative intended), and thus though technically not eligible, The Great Scott Hovey was added to the nominee list and thanks to his league dominance, and the fact he'd defeated Travis in a doubles tournament event, was rightly given said honor!
In doubles, the classic dilemma of tournament versus league play once again played a role. And by "played a role" we mean that it played "no" role whatsoever (which is still a role, as it turns out). That is while Scott and Patrick's Akron Open Doubles Championship was eye catching and Rex and Matthew's Green Open Doubles Championship combined with their league play was eyebrow-raising, it was the combined league and playoff success of two other teams - Jim and John from Force and Craig and Stephen from Towpath - that was simply jaw-dropping. Jim and John looked to take the most coveted award that no one knows about as their league and playoff wins, both highs for the nominees, combined with their deep, deep, deep playoff run, and their 8th place Nationals finish, the best 18+ finish in Ohio history, won over many of the voters. That and their deep, deep, deep made-for-tv friendship! BUT ... the 3.0 history making run of Craig and Stephen, a team that not only went undefeated but also brought home to Ohio a first ever 3.0 National Championship proved to be impossible to ignore! Thus, both pairings were honored for fantastic 3.0 seasons!
The captaincy vote was, like singles, incredibly close, with some thinking that Jeremy's 17 team wins and four team championships (Flight, Districts, State, Midwest) weighed supreme. Indeed, the 17 wins was among the best ever in a single season and the four team championships tied several record holding captains (since four is pretty much the limit of what you can win in a single season, many of the captains will forever be locked in a season tie). However, others felt that Towpath's Ronald Bassak, who had led his 55+ doubles team to not just Nationals but a first ever National championship (!) deserved the ultimate in D.F.O. leadership honors. In the end, despite a close, close vote, in which the votes were very, um, close, the fans simply couldn't ignore Jeremy's win total and the fact that the 18+ finish was the best in Ohio 18+ 3.0 history. But congratulations to both captains for two fantastic 3.0 seasons!
Ineligible Nominees
Rex Degler*1/Matthew Johnston*1 (NCRC)
Tournament: Green Open Champions (2-0)
League: 9-0
Overall Record: 11-0
Notes: Rex's one-and-done status was the one and only hiccup in this dream-team's 2021 doubles success!
Scott Hovey*2 (LaTuchie)**
League: 14-0 singles, 1-1 doubles, Flight Champion
Playoffs: 3-1 singes
Tournament: Akron Open Doubles Champions (3-0)
Overall Record: 21-2
Notes: Didn't actually qualify per D.F.O. nomination rules, but qualified for nomination due to legendary 3.0 status. Per D.F.O. nomination rules
Wael Rached*1 (Force)
League: 4-2 singles, 1-0 doubles, Flight Champion
Playoffs: 6-5, Midwest Ohio State Championships Champion, Nationals 8th Place
Overall Record: 11-7
Notes: Bumped to 3.5 after one glorious season, Wael will forever be known for his one glorious season!
Casey Tjalsma
Tournament: NTRP Singles Championships Champion (3-0)
Notes: 6-0 on the season in all singles matches, league and tournament combined, Casey destroyed his competition in the first event of the calendar year; sadly, as he's from Michigan, and the D.F.O. only recognizes Ohio based players, Casey will just have to live with the fact he's the best visitor Ohio had in all of 2021!
Casey Tjalsma & Patrick Van Tuinlen
Tournament: NTRP Doubles Championships Champions (3-0)
Comments