Strong First-Year Duo Propels Team

To return to the NCAA tournament for the first time in four years and capture an Ivy League title with an undefeated league and a 15-7 overall record, the Harvard men’s tennis team relied on the depth of its lineup, particularly at the No. 5 and No. 6 singles spots.

Thanks to two rookies, Alexei Chijoff-Evans and Aba Omodele-Lucien, the Crimson held down these last two spots on the ladder. Known to his teammates and coach as a “California dude” for his laid back attitude, Chijoff-Evans consistenly frustrated opponents on the court on his way to a 12-4 record in dual meets and 20-7 overall record. Likewise, Omodele-Lucien’s contagious enthusiasm for competitive play controlled the No. 5 singles spot and earned the freshman a 15-7 performance in duals and a 22-12 record overall.

The duo’s success is as much a story of the numbers as it is of how early tournaments and stiff non-conference competition allowed the two to develop into team leaders who both won their last seven singles matches.

Head coach Dave Fish ’72 specifically remembers the match against Brown, when both of these seemingly different personalities started to come together. Playing singles matches on side-by-side courts allowed Chijoff-Evans and Omodele-Lucien to find a higher competitive drive that allowed each to win a point for Harvard in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

“I think as they got better, they sort of looked at each other and said, ‘hey, we’re together in this, let’s go!’” Fish said. “Whenever there’s a collective energy, it’s stronger than an individual energy.”

Fish also credits Omodele-Lucien and Chijoff-Evans’ consistent victories at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, as an asset to the team’s ability to win up and down the lineup.

“It was a huge confidence boost for the four guys who played above them,” Fish said. “Each of the guys was a real baller. They know how to play, but without strong play beneath them, these guys would be busting their butts without making much difference.”

After rising to the challenge of everyday competition and stepping into leadership roles, Chijoff-Evans and Omodele-Lucien look poised to give the Crimson another shot at Ivy League glory next season.

—Staff writer Robert T. Hamlin can be reached at rhamlin@fas.harvard.edu.