Kerrville, Texas - The Trinity men's tennis team won its seventh consecutive Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tennis Championship with a 5-0 victory over Southwestern University on Sunday.
The top-seeded Tigers improved their season record to 17-9, as the Tigers won their 21st overall SCAC crown. Seventh-year Head Coach Russell McMindes has guided Trinity to the top slot in each year of his tenure. Southwestern dropped to 19-7 after the finals loss, and entered the tournament as the #2 seed.
"It's always exciting to win the conference title again," said Coach McMindes. "We have so much history and tradition there, that it is the first thing on our goals sheet. The conference is improving every year, and we were up against a very capable team in Southwestern."
Paxton Deuel produced the winning match for the second straight day, as the senior gave Trinity the fifth point with his victory at #1 singles. Deuel also had the clincher in Saturday's 5-0 semifinals nod over #5 Colorado College. Wilson Lambeth won the only other singles match that was completed, by taking the #3 line. Lambeth had to fight to win the first set 7-5, but then blanked his opponent 6-0 in the second.
The Tigers started Sunday with the three doubles victories. Deuel and Matt Tyer took #1 doubles, and Chas Mayer and Clayton Niess won the #2 line 8-6. Lambeth and Eliot Guin were victorious on line three of doubles.
"The doubles sweep really provided our guys the cushion to play loose and confident in singles,"concluded Coach McMindes. "It was great to have a freshman (Wilson Lambeth) get the first singles point, and then to have a senior (Paxton Deuel) clinch the match. Now we look forward to preparing for the NCAA Tournament. Our approach all year has been to make it to the tournament, and then anything can happen."
Trinity earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Playoffs, beginning May 13-15 at a site to be determined. Bids to the postseason event are expected to be issued May 9. The NCAA Team Championship is slated for May 23-25 at Kalamazoo, Michigan, with the Singles and Doubles Championships slated for the following three days.
