SAINT PETER, Minn. - The No. 22 ranked Gustavus men's tennis team was selected for the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championships after winning the MIAC Playoff Championship on Saturday, taking down Carleton, 4-0. The team will now travel to the University of Chicago, starting with a matchup against the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) champion, Greenville University at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 7th.
The Gusties did not drop a point in the MIAC Playoffs, starting with a 4-0 win over Bethel on Friday before another 4-0 sweep on Saturday against the Knights of Carleton. On Friday, Gustavus earned the doubles point, with
Noah Hakim and
Owen Skanse finishing first with a 6-4 win, before a clinch by
Tyler Haddorff and
Luke Fridinger, winning 7-5.
In singles,
Quinn Monson won first with a smooth, 6-2, 6-2 win, before
Deuce Daniel at 6-2, 6-4 and the clinching point by Haddorff at 6-1, 6-3. The 4-0 win was the 14th against Bethel, moving to 14-0 overall.
On Saturday, it was also a 4-0 win against Carleton, starting with
Dominik Knutson and
Takura Mhwandagara with a dominating 6-1 win and followed by a come-from-behind win, 7-6, including fighting off two match points by
Gage Gohl and
Tyler Haddorff. Knutson won again in dominating fashion, 6-1, 6-1 before Monson and Fridinger won comfortably to take the MIAC Playoff Championships.
Gustavus was matched up with Greenville in the first round, who won the UMAC Championship with a 4-0 win against UW-Superior. The Panthers are 20-6 overall, with a 4-0 run in UMAC conference play. Greenville played St. Olaf this year, topping the Oles 5-2, compared to the Gusties' 7-0 win.
With a win, the Gusties will advance to take on No. 10 Kenyon, who earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The Owls lost in the NCAC championship, dropping a 4-0 decision to No. 4 Denison. Kenyon's record this season is 21-4 and 7-1 in the NCAC, with their only regular season loss to Denison.
The other teams in the bracket are Luther and Rose-Hulman, who will feed into the regional host, UChicago. With a win, the Gusties would also play at 2:00 p.m. on Friday.
