Tracey and Gervase Garner Recognition in Empire 8 All-Conference Awards

2018 May 24

Both Patrick Tracey '18 and Stephen Gervase '20 of the Elmira College men's tennis team received honors from the Empire 8 Conference, as announced by the league office on May 11. Tracey garnered E8 All-Conference Second-Team accolades for singles after a stellar senior campaign, while Gervase received a spot on the Sportsman of the Year Team.

Tracey, who was named to the E8 All-Conference Second Team for the second consecutive season, posted a combined record of 13-9 on the year. He became just the fourth Soaring Eagle to be named multiple singles All-Conference teams. The fourth-year netter shined particularly in singles action, as he went 8-3 in his first season as Elmira's No. 1 singles player. Tracey won his first eight singles bouts, five of which were in E8 play. His only setbacks came against teams that made it to the Empire 8 Tournament: No. 39 Stevens Institute of Technology, St. John Fisher College and Houghton College.

In doubles play, Tracey and Gervase combined to post a 5-6 record in their first season as a tandem. The duo came into its own in conference action, as it went 4-4 against league foes. Of the four pairs that Tracey fell to, three were named either a First-Team or Second-Team All-Conference doubles selection.

In his final collegiate season, Tracey cemented himself as one of the best to ever don the Purple and Gold. With 13 more wins added to his total, the Bardonia, New York, native ascended to third on EC's all-time wins leaderboard with 61 career victories. Tracey also tied Gabe Cortes '11 for the program record in singles victories with his 37th win on April 20 against Alfred University. In terms of doubles wins, he ranks sixth among EC's all-time leaders with 24 in his collegiate tenure.

After a solid sophomore campaign, Gervase was chosen as Elmira's representative on the Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year Team. Annually, the Empire 8 recognizes one student-athlete from each institution for "Competing with Honor and Integrity," which the conference emphasizes as an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission. The product of Lebanon, Connecticut, went 10-12 on the year, posting identical records of 5-6 in both singles and doubles action. Gervase went .500 against E8 opposition in 2018, with identical marks of 4-4 in both singles and doubles play.