BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Sophomore Charlie Spencer accounted for the match-clinching point in Navy's Star Match win over Army last weekend, in Saturday's Patriot League Tournament semifinal round victory over the Black Knights and today in a 4-2 win by the men's tennis team over Lehigh in the tournament final.  The second-seeded Mids (27-17) overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the top-seeded Mountain Hawks (15-9) on their home courts in Bethlehem, Pa., and win the program's first title in three years, eighth in the last 16 tournaments and league-best 16th overall.

Navy will learn its NCAA Tournament destination and opponent Monday afternoon, as will the Navy women's team which won the league tournament last week.

Spencer was named the MVP of the tournament as he won all three of his singles matches and also posted a 2-1 record in doubles alongside Herrick Legaspi on the weekend.

"We had a great response after dropping the doubles point," said Navy head coach Chris Garner, who has taken the Mids to the tournament final in each of his 11 tournaments and won seven league crowns.

Navy dug a hole for itself Sunday by losing the doubles point, which also occurred earlier this season when Lehigh won a 4-3 match over Navy.  Wyeth Anzilotto and Henry Stoller posted a 6-2 win at No. 2 doubles over Aniketh Ayinala and Tommy Kim in the first match to finish. The Mountain Hawks earned the point when their No. 1 tandem of Sean Jaeger and Alex Van Lumich defeated Legaspi and Spencer at the No. 1 flight by a 6-2 count.

The remaining match at No. 3 had the Navy team of Lachlan Buckingham and Jake Young holding a 5-4 lead on Rafael Gracie and Kosei Ogata when it was stopped.

Needing to win four of the singles matches, the Mids put together good starts across the board and won the first set in five of them.  However, the second point of the match was recorded by Lehigh as Van Lumich defeated Ayinala 6-0, 6-1 at No. 2 singles.

Legaspi sliced the deficit in half when he completed a 3-0 tournament in singles with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Sean Jaeger at the No. 1 flight.  Steve Nguyen followed with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Stoller at No. 6 singles to tie the match at 2-2.  Not long after that match concluded, team captain J.J. Etterbeek made the score 3-2 when he defeated Ofer Hacohen by the score of 6-1, 6-4 at No. 5 singles.

"Steve was playing at a high level from the first point," said Garner.  "He maintained it throughout the match.  Herrick and J.J. had identical scores and similar matches with great starts, and then their opponents competed well to make the second sets close."

This meant Navy needed to win one of the matches still on the courts and Lehigh both of them.

Kim won the first set of his No. 4 match against Ogata by the score of 7-5, but Ogata won a 6-4 second set.  As the second set in that match was ending and the third set was starting (it would be stopped at 1-1 in the third set), Spencer had built a 5-0 lead on Alek Daskalovic in the third set at No. 3.  Spencer won a 6-0 first set but Daskalovic won the second set by the score of 6-3.  Spencer served for the match at 5-0, but was broken (5-1).  Daskalovic held serve (5-2) and then broke Spencer again to cut the margin down to 5-3.  Now receiving serve, Spencer quickly jumped out to a 40-love lead.  After Daskalovic erased the first championship point of the game and third of the set (the players were at deuce at both 5-0 and 5-1), Spencer tallied the next point to complete the comeback and send the Mids to the NCAA Tournament.

"Tommy and Charlie were locked in very competitive matches," said Garner.  "Charlie was able to get a great start to the third set and then had a very exciting finish to clinch the match."

Navy 4, Lehigh 2
Doubles -- Lehigh wins the doubles point (2-1)
1. Jaeger, Sean / Van Lumich, Alex (LEH) def. Legaspi, Herrick / Spencer, Charlie (NAVY) 7-5
2. Anzilotti, Wyeth / Stoller, Henry (LEH) def. Ayinala, Aniketh / Kim, Tommy (NAVY) 6-2
3. Gracie, Rafael / Ogata, Kosei (LEH) vs. Buckingham, Lachlan / Young, Jake (NAVY) 4-5, unfinished
Singles (2-1-6-5-3)
1. Legaspi, Herrick (NAVY) def. Jaeger, Sean (LEH) 6-1, 6-4
2. Van Lumich, Alex (LEH) def. Ayinala, Aniketh (NAVY) 6-0, 6-1
3. Spencer, Charlie (NAVY) def. Daskalovic, Alek (LEH) 6-0, 3-6, 6-3
4. Ogata, Kosei (LEH) vs. Kim, Tommy (NAVY) 5-7, 6-4, 1-1, unfinished
5. Etterbeek, J.J. (NAVY) def. Hacohen, Ofer (LEH) 6-1, 6-4
6. Nguyen, Steve (NAVY) def. Stoller, Henry (LEH) 6-2, 6-3

Tournament Results
Thursday, April 23 – First Round 
M1: No. 9 Lafayette def. No. 8 Holy Cross, 4-3

Friday, April 24 – Quarterfinals 
M2: No. 1 Lehigh def. No. 9 Lafayette, 4-0 
M3: No. 5 Bucknell def. No. 4 Boston University, 4-1
M4: No. 3 Army West Point def. No. 6 Loyola Maryland, 4-0
M5: No. 2 Navy def. No. 7 Colgate, 4-0

Saturday, April 25 – Semifinals 
M6: No. 1 Lehigh def. No. 5 Bucknell, 4-2
M7: No. 2 Navy def. No. 3 Army West Point, 4-0

Sunday, April 26 – Championship Match
M8: No. 2 Navy def. No. 1 Lehigh, 4-2