This article is from the EMU News Archive. Current EMU new is available at www.emu.edu/news

Foderaro A Busy Man

by Dustin Dopirak, Daily News-Record

With all that Drew Foderaro has been doing off the court recently, it’s a wonder that he can still be effective on it.

But the recent Eastern Mennonite University graduate’s outside activities – from a semster abroad to working a full-time job – don’t appear to have hampered his tennis game. The 22-year-old advanced to the men’s open quarterfinals of the Daily News-Record tennis tournament with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Spotswood High School rising senior Daniel Babbitt on Monday at the Eastover courts. On Sunday, Foderaro eliminated four-time DN-R tournament finalist Steve Hurst with a 6-1, 6-3 win.

He’ll play the winner of today’s marquee match between last year’s runner-up Craig Westwood and former James Madison player Mike Hendricksen. Westwood and Hendricksen will play at 5:45 at Eastover, and the winner will play Foderaro at the same time and same place on Wednesday.

"Yesterday was a very good, tough match against Steve," Foderaro said. "And that got me nice and warmed up and I was ready to go today."

Foderaro needed something to get him back into the swing of tennis. He was EMU’s No. 1 singles player this year and finished seventh at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament, but he hasn’t played a competitive match since that tournament ended April 17.

Foderaro, a native of Harleysville, Pa., plans on taking the year off before going to medical school, but it hasn’t really been a year off so far. He’s working at Mast & Brunk Inc., a mechanical contracting company, for the summer. After that, he’ll figure out what to do with the rest of the year. Regardless, he doesn’t have a whole lot of time for tennis.

"I had a month or so off where I didn’t get too much playing in," Foderaro said. "I was kind of taking it easy and working."

Even when Foderaro was playing at EMU, tennis was not his only focus. Every student at EMU must study abroad for a semester in accordance with the university’s cross-cultural program. They can choose when and where they go, so Foderaro didn’t necessarily have to skip his junior tennis season, but he did and has no regrets. He went to the Middle East, spending time in Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the West Bank. Though that area is obviously one of the tumultuous regions in the world, Foderaro said he enjoyed his time there. Despite the political turmoil, he said it is a place Americans should make strides to visit.

"It was a great experience," Foderaro said. "Not as much tennis as maybe I would have liked to have played, but nonetheless, it was probably the best experience of my life… Things do happen there, but even when I was there, I never really felt in danger at all. It’s a place that, I come back now, and I really, really strongly encourage people to go over there. It’s a major place of history and culture. The people are incredible."

After returning from his semester abroad, Foderaro played in the DN-R tournament last year, where he advanced to the semifinals. He also had a successful college season, earning the Royals’ No. 1 singles slot.

However, Foderaro still used much of his senior year to enjoy parts of college outside of the athletic realm. He sang for EMU’s chamber choir and also played a member of the barbershop quartet in the university’s production of the musical "The Music Man."

"In my junior and senior year in high school I participated in a lot of musicals and I sang in a bunch of choirs," Foderaro said. "That was a kind of a love of mine. It was good to get back into it my senior year at EMU."

Foderaro isn’t sure what his focus will be in medical school, but the time in the classroom will assuredly take away from his time on the court. However, he said he still wants to keep tennis as part of his life.

"I’m sure I’ll play tournaments like this," he said. "And when I was younger, I was a teaching pro. I’ve always thought that could be a long-term goal, eventually when I get a career to maybe be a coach of a team either locally, or whatever. That’s one of my aspiring goals."

In another notable match Monday, 2001 men’s open champion Glenn Deputy moved on to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Chris Brock. Deputy fell behind 0-2 in the second set, but won six straight games to take the match. He will play the winner of today’s 5:45 p.m. match between John Raker and Jacob Alexander.

"I am pleased," Deputy said. "I felt like I needed both matches as a tune-up to kind of work out the weak parts of the game … Two rounds, two wins so far in the open tournament. I couldn’t be more pleased. It’s nice to still be alive."

Al Preston won his singles match with Doug May 6-2, 6-0 to move on to the quarterfinals. Tyler Carnahan defeated Trip Hereford 6-2, 6-4 to move on to play No.1 seed Zack Watson in the second round today at 5:45 p.m. at Eastover. Watson’s EMHS teammate Alex Fiore beat Kyle Payne 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to move on to play John Egnor in the second round.

Watson played his first match in the DN-R tournament since winning the men’s open in 2002. He and EMHS doubles partner Justin Weirich won their men’s open doubles match 6-4, 6-2 over John Egnor and Hugo Solomon.

In the women’s open bracket, Spotswood rising junior Joy Pandolfi defeated Debbie Boese 6-1, 6-3, to move to the quarterfinals where she will face No. 1 seed Cindy Ferek on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the EMU courts.

In the men’s 35-and-over bracket, Craig Westwood defeated Dean Stuart 6-4, 6-2 and Andy Jackson defeated Andrew Mackenzie 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2. Jackson and Westswood will meet in the finals Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Eastover. In the men’s 55 and over bracket, Gary Carnahan defeated Charlie Borger 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2). In men’s 35-and-over doubles, Walt Obenschain and Paul Lightner beat Rick Moran and Jeff Collins 6-3, 6-1, and in men’s 45-and-over doubles, Steve Nesselrodt and Bill Meade defeated Curtis Poe and Steve Granger 0-6, 6-1, 7-5.

In women’s open doubles, Lynsey Landes and Ann Yust defeated Holly Egnor and Rhonda Shinenberry 6-4, 6-2. In mixed doubles, Jeff Collins and Michelle Jones defeated Kelsey Pack and Matt Kerr, 6-0, 6-0 and Ryan and Rhonda Weber defeated Cindy and Tony Ferek 6-2, 6-4. In 35-and-over mixed doubled Lynn Powell and Bill Meade defeated Jack Polk and Linda Landes 6-4, 2-6, 7-5.

— article by: By Dustin Dopirak, Daily News-Record; posted June 21, 2005