The last few weeks we have taken a look at some truly great teams in Guilford’s history. As we enter the upper echelon of the teams, I ask you to turn your attention to the 1986 men’s tennis squad as the 10th best team in Guilford history.

One need only glance at the men’s tennis record book to see why this pick was so easy to make.

The 1986 team was loaded with talent and experience.

The team would reach — and compete fiercely in — the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) tournament; this was of course before Guilford entered the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) in 1992.

Finishing first as the NAIA District 26 Champions, the team would fall short of winning the tournament championship in Kansas City, Miss., but that does not diminish the 30-6 record that they collectively compiled.

The accolades of this group are almost too many to list.

From the second spot on the school’s all time records for most wins in singles play, the team holds every other slot down to the seventh.

Chris Loddenkemper ’86 would go 26-9 that year, with teammates Nick Demetraides ’86 and Patricio Abey ’86 following closely with 25-8 and 23-9 records respectively.

Doubles play would feature much of the same dominance. Loddenkemper teamed with Adam Neilly ’86 to post a 22-8 school record for most wins in Doubles play in a season. Not to be outdone, Demetraides and Ricky Feit ’86 posted an impressive 19-1 record — making them second on the same list.

With wins piling up in both singles and doubles play, there is no surprise that the season overall win’s category is chock full of players from the 1986 team.

In fact, the first five spots belong to the team. Loddenkemper ranks first with a 48-17 overall record. Neilly follows closely with a record of 45-17, while Demetraides gets the proverbial bronze medal with a record of 44-9.

The team owes much of their accomplishments to their head coach Ray Allen. Allen, who coached the Quakers for 13 seasons, posted a .669 winning percentage during his tenure.

Perhaps most impressive is that Allen only finished lower than third place once in his 13 years in the NAIA District 26 Championships, coming in first in 1980 and again in 1986 .

This year’s men’s team looks to improve on the 11-11 overall record from last year.and rekindle the glory of the 1980’s

The first step is the right direction that can be taken in February when the team meets Winston-Salem State at the Dorothy Ragsdale McMichael Courts here on Guilford’s campus.