For men’s tennis coach Jay Harris, the class of players that will graduate after this season will always be special to him. That’s because seniors Mike Kossoff, Vitek Wild and Ed Kuresman were part of Harris’ first full recruiting class as head tennis coach.

“The signing of those three guys is not only special for me,” Harris said. “I think it is special to the entire program.”

With the team ready to make a run at the Mid American Conference championship, the three seniors are trying to stay focused. If the Falcons win the MAC tournament, the team will receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, something that has escaped the seniors in their first three years.

“If we make it to the national tournament, I will have achieved all of my goals,” Kossoff said.

Kossoff is a fifth-year senior who transferred to BG from San Diego State after his freshman year, during which he was red shirted. Harris, who tried to recruit Kossoff since he was a top-ranked high schooler in Syosset, New York, believes Kossoff has a mental advantage over his opponents when he steps on the court.

“He brings a sense of competitiveness to every match he plays,” Harris said. “He will do anything it takes to win a match.”

Much of the success the team has accomplished this year is due to the team’s strong sense of togetherness, Kossoff believes. It is something he didn’t sense in San Diego State.

“In San Diego State, we had a lot of great players, but they were more concerned with themselves than with the team,” Kossoff said. “Here, the coach has stressed that we need to do things as a team. I love all the guys here. We are like family.”

Part of that family includes the men’s all-time leader in wins, Vitek Wild, a player who Harris called “the most talented player in the history of the program.” Harris went on to say that the native of the Czech Republic was the only player in BG history who could beat anyone in the nation when he was at his best. Wild said that despite his personal accomplishments, the success of the team is the most important.

“I have the most career wins, but it doesn’t mean anything,” said Wild. “The only thing that matters to me is the team winning matches.”

Harris said that Wild’s talent is as strong as any player in BG’s history.

“We have never had a player like that before and may never again,” said Harris. “If Vitek can keep a mental edge, he can be unbeatable.”

Wild agreed with Harris.

“I need to be cocky on the court, like I was my freshman year,” Wild said.

The other senior on the squad is Ed Kuresman, a person who is so involved in the BG community that he was once involved in 14 separate student organizations, including being on the core committee of Dance Marathon, president of the Financial Management Society and a member on two separate funding committees. He has struggled with injuries in his first three seasons, and now that he is healthy, he is looking to go out strong.

“It’s been a lot of fun here, and the team has really changed in terms of both character and ability,” Kuresman said. “I think we have to be considered the favorites in the MAC tournament, and that would be a great way to finish.”

“Mike, Vitek and I are very close, and we have experienced things that no one else will ever go through,” Kuresman said. Wild, when asked if he had a final comment, had a message for the rest of the team.

The seniors and the rest of the Falcons will resume their push for the MAC championship tomorrow in Cincinnati when they play Xavier.