SAINT PETER, Minn. - Gustavus men's tennis crowned itself champion of the region Monday by claiming both the singles and doubles titles of the ITA Midwest Regional Championships, held at the Wilkinson Tennis Complex.
The singles championship match featured the Gusties'
Gage Gohl and Luke VanDonslear of UW-Whitewater. Gohl won the first set 6-3 before falling behind 3-1 in the second. The sophomore ace broke serve to make it 3-2 and fought all the way back for a 7-5 win to clinch the match in straight sets. By winning the region title, Gohl earned ITA All-America status and advances to the ITA Cup, which will be played Oct. 12-16 in Rome, Ga.
It was an all-Gustavus doubles championship with Gohl and
Tyler Haddorff facing
Marco Siviero and
Josh Christensen. Gohl and Haddorff claimed the first set 6-2 before Siviero and Christensen bounced back with a 6-4 win in the second to force a third set breaker. Gohl and Haddorff broke a 3-3 tie in the breaker and held the advantage the rest of the way for a 10-7 decision. Gohl and Haddorff earn ITA All-America honors by way of winning the region title, while Siviero and Christensen will join at the ITA Cup with a chance to earn All-America themselves with a first round victory.
"The entire team put together an excellent weekend at ITA regionals," Head Coach
Tommy Valentini said. "This event feels like a marathon and a sprint all in one, and right from the get go on Friday, every member of our team welcomed challenges and embraced adversity with courage and trust. Most of all, they supported each other and cared for each other and truly made this a team event.
"Everyone on our team is in a new role with increased responsibilities this year, and this weekend was a big step in our growth. In terms of the results, to secure seven of the eight singles quarter finalists, and five of eight in the doubles are tremendous accomplishments and took so many outstanding performances - it's tough to mention them all individually.
"All throughout the tournament the guys were able to let go of disappointments and get back to the present quickly and at a high level. In singles, Gage put together a very complete and mature performance to take the title against a first-class opponent from Whitewater who was on a marvelous run. Gage was calm, poised, and trusted his game and strategy, and handled the big moments beautifully.
"Marco and Josh played electric doubles in both their quarter final and semi final matches last night, and after Gage and Tyler took it to them in the first set in the final, they stayed positive and turned things around with an incredible second set. Given the level of play throughout the match, it was fitting to have the doubles final come down to the third set tiebreak, and it certainly could've gone either way. In the end, Gage and Tyler narrowly came through, but what I'll remember and cherish most from the match will be the extremely high level of play, and the great sportsmanship that all four of them displayed.
"Obviously we are grateful for the results this weekend, but far more important to us than the results is the progress we made as a team and how we approached the entire event, and how we supported each other. This had a lot to do with our leaders living this approach, and it resulted in a great weekend for our entire team.
"We'll certainly learn a lot from this event, and we're grateful for the opportunities that lie ahead at the ITA Cup - it will be a great experience for these four guys, and will help our entire group continue to progress."
With Gohl earning two All-America honors and Haddorff claiming one, both the first of their careers, Gustavus men's tennis now boasts 128 All-Americans in its storied history.
