When Hayden Schilling penciled Anthony Fernandez into the lineup,
no matter what the position, it was almost a guaranteed point for
The College of Wooster men’s tennis team from 1989-1992, as
the native of Massachusetts who grew up in Naples, Fla., tied a
school record with 81 singles wins and added about 50 more
victories in doubles.
Fernandez credits a great deal of his individual success early on
to being part of some talented teams. As a freshman, he earned a
starting spot at No. 6 singles for a squad that would end up in a
three-way tie for the North Coast Athletic Conference championship
and with a national ranking of No. 20. The baseliner played an
integral role in Wooster’s share of the NCAC title, as he won
the sixth singles flight, and thus, earned first-team
all-conference honors while finishing with a 20-7 record.
The next season, the Fighting Scots equaled a team record for
victories in a season (21-6), capped by their first outright NCAC
championship, with Fernandez serving as a steady force again. He
primarily was at No. 5, compiling a near-perfect 24-3 singles
record, as well as going 14-5 with three doubles partners.
Fernandez’s career became remarkable, though, by virtue of
what happened between his sophomore and junior years. With a 44-10
record and another well-stocked Wooster roster, he could have been
content in continuing to dominate the lower-tier of the lineup, but
instead, he pushed himself and made the rare successful move from
No. 5 to No. 1 singles, which Schilling says is “the biggest
jump any player I’ve coached here (28 years) ever had to make
in a single year.”
Successful may not be a strong enough adjective, as Fernandez was
victorious just as consistently at the top of the lineup. Starting
every match at No. 1, he won 18 matches (18-8), including
hard-fought, three-set decisions over the best rivals Denison
University and Kenyon College had to offer during the NCAC
Tournament. Fernandez was voted NCAC Player of the Year, in
addition to first-team all-NCAC as a doubles team with Warren
Cham-A-Koon, and he received an invitation to the NCAA Div. III
Tournament, taking a set off his opponent before succumbing in the
first round.
“Anthony has come a long way,” Schilling commented
during that 1991 season. “Moving up to No. 1 from any
position requires quite an adjustment, but to move from five to one
is extremely difficult. Every time, you take the court, you know
that you will always be playing the other team’s top player,
and that player usually doesn’t have many
weaknesses.”
Fernandez, who was a standout due to his consistent, solid
groundstrokes and excellent anticipation, closed out his career
with his best year yet. He posted a 19-5 mark at No. 1 singles,
repeating as the NCAC Player of the Year and as a participant in
the NCAA Div. III Tournament. This time, he played singles, losing
to the No . 14 seed, and doubles with partner Dan Rosenbaum.
Fernandez and the Scots ended up with national rankings, with
Fernandez at No. 32 in singles and No. 24 in doubles (w/Rosenbaum),
and Wooster at No. 22.
For his career, Fernandez wound up with an 81-23 singles record as
well as a 49-19 ledger in doubles. The 81 victories matches Bob
Savitt’s mark from 1982-1985 (81-22)
After graduating from Wooster with a bachelor’s degree in
history, Fernandez completed a master’s degree in public
administration from American University and was selected for a
highly-competitive City of Phoenix Management Intern Program. He
returned to his hometown and now is an internal audit manager for
the Collier County Clerk of Courts.
Personally, he is married to 1991 Wooster alum Kerry Perkins and
they are the parents of two sons, Pierce (4) and Ryan (2).
Fernandez still plays tennis, in addition to biking, kayaking,
playing guitar, traveling, and hanging out with his family at the
beach, during his free time.
