In 2000-2001, the Bobcats took 11th place out of 25 teams at the New England Div. III Championships, Bates' highest finish in 14 years. Bates returns four of its top six players from a year ago.Senior Mary Dorman (Holden, Mass.) and junior Talbott Randall (Norwalk, Conn.) will serve as cocaptains in 2001-02. Paul Gastonguay '89, who has led the Bates men to two straight NCAA berths, takes over as head coach of the women's tennis program as well.

Bates plays both a fall and a spring season. The fall schedule includes as many as 10 dual matches along with the Rolex Division III Championships and the Division III New England Championships. The spring season brings a continuation of dual matches; the inaugural NESCAC conference championship; a spring break trip to Hilton Head Island, S.C.; the State of Maine Intercollegiate Championships; and the NCAA tournament.

With the addition of eight brand new courts over the summer of 1999, Bates tennis facilities are among the best in New England. Built in memory of the late College trustee James G. Wallach '64, each of the courts features tournament-quality lighting, Plexi-Cushion hard court surface and stadium seating for up to 300 spectators. Six of the courts are in the vantage point of a 25-foot-high tennis house with a viewing deck and tournament desk for the coaching staff. In addition, Merrill Gymnasium is situated right next door to the new facility. Merrill houses four indoor courts, allowing 12 courts to be used simultaneously for tournaments.

Paul Gastonguay '89 (pgastong@bates.edu), the winningest men's tennis player in Bates College history, amassed a combined record of 149-41 in his four-year playing career. He set three of the top four single-season marks in school history and became the Bobcats' second-ever All-American in tennis in his senior season, during which he was a finalist for the NCAA Arthur Ashe Award. Gastonguay competed professionally in International Tennis Federation Satellite, Challenger and ATP Tour events, where he achieved world rankings in singles and doubles. He served as a practice partner for former ATP Tour top ranked player, Ivan Lendl, during the last four years of his career.

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