UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 31, Page 4
May 14, 1992
Men's tennis team serves up two senior scholar-athletes

     Sam Lieber and Jeff Iannone, both four-year members of the
University's men's tennis team, hold awesome statistics on and off the
court.
     While playing winning tennis, seniors Iannone of Willingboro,
NJ., and Lieber of nearby Wilmington have managed to earn superior
marks in two of the University's most competitive and challenging
majors-computer science and engineering.
     Lieber, a computer science major, carries a grade point average
(GPA) of 3.802, while his doubles partner and roommate, Iannone, holds
a 3.722 GPA in electrical engineering.
     How do they balance academics   and athletics?
     "I pay attention in class and maximize the time I have for
study," said Lieber, an NCAA post-graduate scholarship nominee.
     As for Iannone, he performs better academically during tennis
season.
     "Tennis serves as an outlet from study. I realize how much time I
have to study, and I'm able to concentrate," he explained, adding that
since the sport is extremely competitive, it has helped him deal with
course-related pressures.  Academics "make me enjoy tennis more," he
said.
     But tennis is not the only team where the roommates stand out.
     Lieber is a member of the University's Athletic Governing Board.
     Iannone is a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society, the
National Society of Professional Engineers and the honors fraternity,
Phi Kappa Psi. He also is a two-time winner of the University's Miles
Powell Scholarship, presented to outstanding engineering students who
also compete in athletics.
     Both also are candidates for College Sports Information Directors
of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-American honors.
     The Blue Hen tennis team closed out its best season since 1982
with a fourth place finish at the North Atlantic Conference (NAC)
championships held at the University of Vermont. The Hens posted a
13-3 record, the best since a 14-1 mark in 1982, and the team's 10-0
start tied the school record set by the 1975 team. Head coach C. Roy
"Doc" Rylander ended his 40th season this spring and has coached over
500 career matches at Delaware.
     Lieber, playing at No. 4 singles, posts a 13-2 record, the best
mark on the team, and a career mark of 39-28, ranking eighth on the
all-time Delaware win list. Playing at the No. 3 spot, Ianonne posted
a strong record of 9-6 in singles competition and his 42-21 career
record in singles places him tied for sixth.
     The doubles competition partnership of Lieber and Iannone did not
lose a match this season, holding an impressive record of 8-0 at the
No. 3 spot, the best mark by a Delaware doubles team since 1968.
     The duo has earned the No. 2 spot on the all-time doubles win
list, posting a 31-6 record together and trailing only the win mark of
34 set by Dave Baldwin and Jim Korman from 1985-88.
     -Christine Spinelli