Max Dolinh, Managing Editor–
According to Andy Mackler ‘24, he’s never been the best player on the Denison men’s tennis team at any point in his career.
However with a doubles win on April 12 against No. 8 Washington University in St. Louis, Mackler now holds the school career wins record in both doubles and singles. Mackler broke the singles record on April 7 after wins against Ohio Wesleyan and Shawnee State.
The previous doubles record of 75 wins was held by Kevin Newman ‘08 and the singles record was previously set at 67 wins by former All-American Tim Cianciola ‘22, who was Mackler’s teammate for two years.
“He was a huge role model. I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but looking back on it now, he came to practice every single day ready to work. We always knew we had a shot in our matches when he was on the court,” Mackler said of Cianciola.
The most significant influence on Mackler’s success, however, has been head coach David Schilling ‘89, better known as “Coach Schills.”
He was a freshman when Schilling returned to the program in 2020 after spending 20 years as an assistant coach at Ohio State.
Three seasons and three NCAC championships later, Mackler is now the winningest player in Denison men’s tennis program history.
“We’ve learned to count on each other. If he needs something, I hope he feels that he can come to me, and I know that if I need something, I can go to him. He’s always going to be there for me. In terms of my individual success, [Schilling] has been the biggest reason,” Mackler said.
He was also quick to credit his teammates for helping him reach the career milestone by consistently challenging him to improve.
“I’ve had people pushing me every single day to get better, people who are much more talented than me. I’ve had to learn a lot about my own game and skill set to be successful against those types of players.”
Unlike his 6-foot-5 former teammate who previously held the singles record, Mackler doesn’t win matches because of his physical tools. Instead, he often relies on having the edge in experience and mental strength.
“Being 5-foot-7 and 145 pounds or so, I don’t have a lot of natural weapons like a big serve or forehand, like [Cianciola] had for example. So I have to use other strengths– I have to use my head, to think my way through situations,” he said. “Over four years and playing almost 200 matches, there’s not a lot that surprises me on the tennis court now. I use that to my advantage,” he said.
Beyond the resume of accolades that also includes two second-team All-NCAC selections, Mackler admitted that his reputation can come at a detriment to his mental health, especially now in his fourth year.
“Each practice takes more of a toll on me than it used to, each match day takes more of a toll on me, physically and emotionally. I feel a pretty good amount of pressure knowing that I have to produce two wins almost every time I step on the court.”
Dating back to the late fall of his sophomore year, a time when Mackler said that he partly “lost my love for the game,” he’s found his campus involvement with the Office of Admission and Beta Theta Pi fraternity to be an effective outlet from tennis-related stress.
To Mackler, participating in these co-curriculars not only improved his social life, but also restored some of that lost motivation.
“When I stepped onto the tennis court, I was focused on tennis and I enjoyed myself, and as soon as I stepped off, I could invest my time and energy in other things. I wouldn’t come off the court and stir over what happened in practice for the next three or four hours,” Mackler said.
The Big Red have competed in the NCAA Division III Tournament in all three of his seasons as part of the program, but have only advanced as far as the third round. Should the team return to the tournament this year, it would be the final competition of Mackler’s career.
While the assumed goal of any team in the tournament is the national championship, Mackler and the Big Red have their eyes set on the quarterfinals, which would mean the team’s best national finish in school history. But regardless of the outcome, the scoreboard won’t dictate whether or not Mackler receives closure.
“If it doesn’t happen and we come up short, but I feel I’ve given it all I had and I feel my teammates gave it all they had, I can live with that. I’ll be able to move on,” Mackler said.
Denison men’s tennis is 13-3 and Mackler is 47-4 in all matches on the season. The team is next scheduled to face No. 4 Case Western on April 19. Postseason play will begin with the NCAC Tournament on April 26, which will be hosted in Granville.