HOUGHTON, NY – Hartwick men's tennis' season came to a close on Friday with a 5-0 loss to top-seeded Stevens in the Empire 8 semifinals played at Houghton College's Kerr-Pegula Field House.
           
The Ducks came away with a 3-0 advantage after the doubles portion of play. The Hawks' number one doubles tandem of John Talbot (Middlesex, NY/Marcus Whitman) and Nikola Nedeljkovic (Portland, OR/Sunset) won four games against the Ducks' Danny Polk and Bryan Szayna in an 8-4 result.
           
In singles matches played to completion, Talbot would take a pair of games in the first flight. In other matches, Nedeljkovik won four games in the first set in second singles. Jack Steinman (North Haven, CT/North Haven) won three games in the fourth flight and Tyler Adler (Pittsford, NY/East Rochester) took three games in the fifth flight. Talbot, Steinman, and Adler close out the season tied for a team-best with seven singles wins each.
           
Talbot finishes his four-year career at 'Wick with 20 singles victories and another 12 wins in doubles play.
           
Men's tennis earned a berth in the Empire 8 Conference playoffs for the first time since 2009. The Hawks finish 8-5 overall, which ties for the most wins since 1988. Their 5-3 mark in the Empire 8 ties a program record for conference victories.