Trinity Defeats Gustavus to Reach Regional Final

Trinity Defeats Gustavus to Reach Regional Final

(Story courtesy of Trinity University website)

ST. PETER, Minn. – The Trinity Tigers men beat the host Gustavus Adolphus Gusties 5-3 Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tennis Championships Regional  Tournament.

Trinity (15-12), ranked 11th nationally, takes on No. 9 Chicago at noon Sunday in the regional final. The winner of the NCAA third-round match will advance to the quarterfinals May 24 at Claremont, Calif. Chicago defeated Grinnell 5-2 earlier in the day Saturday.

Tiger junior Max Frey clinched the match for Trinity at No. 1 singles, defeating Amrik Donkena 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2.

Trinity opened the match by winning two of three doubles. Seniors Bobby Cocanougher and Cory Kowal captured No. 1 doubles, beating Donkena and Clark 8-5. Frey and sophomore Erick DelaFuente were 8-6 winners over Tyler Johnson and Joe MacGibbon at No. 2 doubles. The Gusties took No. 3 doubles, as Marcel Gyswyt and Juan Luis Chu beat junior Ben Carroll and senior Don Murray 8-6.

Gustavus Adolphus evened the match at 2-2 as Chu beat DelaFuente 6-3, 6-2 at No. 3 singles. Tiger first-year player Greg Haugen gave Trinity the lead with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Gyswyt at No. 5 singles.

Kowal was a 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 winner over Johnson at No. 4 singles, as the Tigers led 4-2. The Gusties stayed in the match with a win at No. 2 singles, with Clark beating Cocanougher 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

The No. 6 singles match between Carroll and MacGibbon did not finish. Carroll won the opening set 7-6 (7-2), and MacGibbon took the second 6-2. The third set was tied at 3-3 when the match was called.

The Tigers, led by second-year head Coach Russell McMindes, are playing in their second consecutive NCAA Tournament, and 18th overall. Trinity advanced to last year's NCAA quarterfinals, held at Oberlin, Ohio.

Trinity, which received a first-round bye, gained this year's automatic bid by winning its second straight Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship, and 16th overall.