By Dennis O'Donnell, Director of Athletic Communications

INTRODUCTION: As undergraduates, Robert Swartout '83, '92M and Alex Gaeta '83, '85M, '91M formed a dynamic doubles team on the tennis court. Their pairing culminated in the NCAA Division III National Championship in their senior season. Today, Alex Gaeta shares his memories of that accomplishment. He was inducted into the UR Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993. (Fourth of a series.)
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What does it mean after all these years to be a national champion in college?
It remains a source of pride.  It still comes up from time to time in conversations when people ask about my tennis.
 
Your doubles partner, Robert Swartout, said head coach Peter Lyman was reluctant to pair the two of you because you both "pounded the ball". He wanted to pair a power player with a finesse player. What did the two of you do to convince him?
Peter really didn't have much of choice since any of the other pairings wouldn't have given us a strong #1.  We pretty much clicked from the start and after that it was never an issue.
 
As a doubles combination, you won your first eight matches. Did that 8-0 start make him feel better about the pairing?
Absolutely.
 
The overall record that year was 20-6. You won two of three at NCAAs, then played in the Eastern Championships. Did it seem like senior season was a long way off?
Don't really remember.  We did feel we would do better our senior year and that we could win it all.
 
Let's talk a little bit about Peter as a coach. As juniors, you reached the third round of the NCAA tournament and you felt you should have gone farther. So what did you work on in practice and in matches throughout the season?
I don't remember exactly, but I seem to recall that we switched sides, that is, I moved to the AD side and Bob moved to the DEUCE side.
 
In the first two rounds of the individual championships, you won in straight sets (vs. Gustavas Adolphus and Emory). In the quarterfinals, you were paired with a Kalamazoo doubles team which had beaten you in the team championships in straight sets. Do you remember anything leading up to the QF match (a three-set UR win)?
I had an issue with the one of the players from Kalamazoo at the previous year's NCAA Singles Championships.  They had beaten us in the team championships but it was miserable conditions (cold and snow).
 

You got past the University of the Redlands in the semis and faced a familiar opponent in UC Santa Cruz in the final. You defeated the UCSC opponents (Ray Miller and Cris Bacharach, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6) in the 'team' match.  The NCAA Championship match went three sets with each set using a tiebreaker. What can you say about that match?
It was the only match I was ever in which all the sets went to a tiebreaker.  If I remember correctly they had a match point on Bob's serve in the tiebreaker, which had been a bit shaky.   I was at the net and had not poached (crossed to Bob's side for their return of serve) all match. We decided I would cross both times which turned out to be successful in terms of winning the points.  It was then match point for us and we knew that (their player), who had a great serve, would get very nervous and might actually double-fault.  He did, which gave us the match.
 
How did it feel to receive the NCAA Championship doubles trophy?
One of the high points of my athletic career.  I was also very happy for Peter who was such a highly committed coach.  It meant the world to him.
 
What led you to attend the University and pursue Optics as a field of study?
Pure luck.  Peter recruited me since I used to play tournaments in Rochester (I was from Buffalo).  I wanted to major in Physics, but as a second semester freshman I took an intro course in optics which I liked a lot.
 
How were you able to find the time to practice and play while concentrating on your studies?
It was easy.  It was always a welcome break from studying.
 
Which courses did you really enjoy? Which professors stood out in your mind?
Professor Bob Boyd from the Institute of Optics played a critical role.  He let me work in his lab as a senior and then let me stay in his lab for my PhD.  He was a great mentor and I will always be indebted to him for taking an interest in me and guiding me.
 
Where has your career path taken you since your graduation in 1983?
After getting my PhD, I joined the faculty in Applied and Engineering Physics at Cornell.  I was there for 23 years and recently moved the Department of Applied Physics at Columbia University.
 
Both of you were involved in the efforts to construct the Peter Lyman Tennis Center. What did that mean to you – being able to recognize what he did?
I think it is highly appropriate that the Tennis Center be named in his honor.  He was a highly devoted and selfless coach.
 
And lastly, was there anything you took away from your national championship experience that helped you after graduation?
As a freshman it seemed a bit unreal that I would ever be able to compete at that high level.  Winning the championship with Bob made me realize how hard work over a long period of time can lead to excellence and a high level of achievement.