BORI, CIPULLI, EORI NAMED ITA ALL-AMERICANS
BORI, EORI GIVEN NATIONAL LIST FOR ACADEMICS

June 16, 2004

Mark Eori

Andras Bori

Dante Cipulli

BOLIVAR, MO. … Adding more hardware for the 2004 season, Coach John Bryant has picked up five more national awards for the men’s tennis program in Andras Bori, Dante Cipulli, and Mark Eori. All three players are repeat all-Americans from the 2002-03 season. The Bearcats finished the year at 24-5 winning their second straight MIAA Championship and North Central Regional Championship along with finishing in the Elite Eight.

To become an all-American, the players had to finish ranked in the top 20 in singles competition and top 10 in doubles. Cipulli finished the year as the #3 singles player in the nation while Bori/Eori were #6 in doubles.

For the second year in a row, Cipulli was honored as an all-American. Being ranked as high as #2 in the nation in singles competition, he was the NCAA Division II national runner-up at the ITA National Championships in the fall. In the MIAA, he was voted the MVP, awarded first-team status unanimously at #1 singles and #2 doubles, and the MIAA player of the week twice.

Both Andras Bori and Mark Eori finished their careers at SBU this past spring. These two players alone have won a slew of awards for the men’s tennis program in the past three years. They ended their career with two last awards as both were named all-Americans and put on the national academic list for their achievements. To be named to the national academic list you needed a 3.5 or higher.

Being unanimously voted to the all-MIAA first-team in #1 doubles and #3 singles, Bori picked up the MIAA player of the week once. This is the second year in a row that he has been given both all-american status and been named to the national academic list. In the fall, he took third in the ITA NCAA Division II National Doubles competition with teammate Mark Eori. Last year, he was named the MIAA MVP, won the NCAA Division II North Central Region Arthur Ashe award, and won the ITA NCAA Division II National Doubles competition.

Eori picks up his third straight national academic award and all-american award. Earlier this week he was voted as a CoSIDA Academic All-American on the At-large first-team. This past season, he was named the NCAA Division II North Central Region Arthur Ashe award winner, made the MIAA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll and MIAA all-Academic team, and voted onto the all-MIAA First-Team twice at #2 singles and #1 doubles. He became the all-time singles career holder for wins at 106 with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Jason Ray of Abilene Christian. Last year, Eori was awarded the MIAA’s top athletic award in the Ken B. Jones award. He was only the second athlete from SBU to ever receive that award. With doubles partner Andras Bori, they won the 2002 ITA NCAA Division II National Doubles Tournament in Houston, Texas.

SBU will surely miss these two dedicated tennis players as they exemplified what it takes to be a SBU men’s tennis player.