ELON, N.C. – As he walked off the Elon courts for the last time, senior
Ben Zipay was unsure how to feel despite clinching the victory for his team.
"[It was] a little bittersweet. I was looking around one last time, but it felt really good," Zipay said when describing his victory against Radford in his last career outing at home.
The Jimmy Powell Tennis Center was a packed house on Friday afternoon for the pre-match Senior Day celebrations of Zipay, Dylan Heap and
Daniel Martin. Although it might have been the last time Zipay walked off the court at the JPTC, he said he was proud to see the lasting impact he made on the program.
"It was just good seeing people come out," Zipay said. "It made me feel like I made an impression on a lot of people in my time here."
With Zipay looking to build momentum before the CAA tournament, head coach Michael Leonard said it was a "special feeling" to see his four-year player get a win on Senior Day.
Heap said while his time at Elon, the University of Minnesota and Rice University have each been special, he is ready to hang up his racket at the conclusion of this season and joked that his body is telling him it is time to do the same.
"I've only been here for a year, but I've been around college tennis now for five and a half years, so to see it coming to an end is very bittersweet, but it feels like the right time," Heap said.
While Martin was unable to partake in the formal Senior Day celebrations in person, Leonard said he feels like the team has "galvanized around Martin even though he's not here."
Heap and Zipay shared similar thoughts.
"We love you, mate," Heap said. "We all wish you were here. We got the win for you today."
"Dan's just a great guy, friend, teammate, all of the above," Zipay said. "He deserved this Senior Day more than anyone else."
'One last time' seemed to be the theme for the Elon University's men's tennis team on Friday afternoon.
As announced earlier this season, Leonard will be retiring after 20 years as head coach of the Phoenix
following the conclusion of the 2024 campaign,
Leonard said that while coaching his last match at the JPTC was a "weird feeling," having alumni in attendance dating all the way back to his inaugural season in 2005 gave him a more removed perspective of the situation.
"It's a time where you can reflect back and say, 'There's a lot of great moments made on these courts,'" Leonard said. "And I was blessed to be a part of them."
Regardless of his status as coach, player or fan, Leonard said he will always bleed maroon and gold.
"Elon is always going to be a big part of my life," Leonard said. "Even now that I'm leaving, I'm always going to be rooting for this program.
Leonard finishes his Elon career 178-44 in home matches and 17-3 in regular season finales, including the Friday afternoon win over Radford.
"I'm glad we could get him a win for this last [home] match," Heap said.
Leonard's final graduating class, Heap included, expressed special appreciation for their coach's commitment and mentorship.
"He's done a phenomenal job," Heap said. "I've only had a year here, but he took a chance on me. I was pretty injured and banged up and even in the fall, I wasn't playing well, I was a bit injured here and there, so just [Leonard] sticking with me, by my side through all that meant a lot."
"Four years ago, he took me into this program, and it's really felt like a family," Zipay added.
'Rising Phoenix' is a new student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on Twitter (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Jacob Kisamore at jkisamore@elon.edu.
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