San Antonio - Trinity men's tennis Head Coach Russell McMindes, senior Paxton Deuel, and sophomore Matt Tyer head the list of Tiger honorees on the All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Tennis Team.
Coach McMindes was elected the SCAC Co-Coach of the Year. Deuel was named the SCAC Player of the Year, and Tyer was tabbed as the conference Newcomer of the Year. Five Tiger players made the All-SCAC Team. Voting was conducted exclusively by SCAC head men's tennis coaches.
It marked the sixth time in Coach McMindes' seven-year tenure he was designated as Coach of the Year. He guided the 12th-ranked Tigers to a seventh consecutive SCAC Championship. Trinity defeated Southwestern University 5-0 in the title matchup April 24 at Kerrville, Texas. The top-seeded Tigers beat Colorado College by the same score in the semifinals.
Deuel supplied the winning match for both days of the tournament, while playing #1 singles. He currently stands at 14-5 in singles, and is 6-2 in #1 doubles with Tyer. Deuel was named the 2014 SCAC Player and Newcomer of the Year.
Tyer transferred to Trinity in the fall of 2015 from Midwestern State (TX) University, an NCAA Division II program. He immediately established himself as a key player by capturing the USTA/Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Small College Doubles Championship in October.
Junior Chas Mayer made the All-SCAC team for the second consecutive time, while first-year player Wilson Lambeth is a new member of the elite squad. Senior Eliot Guin was selected for the All-SCAC Honorable Mention Team. Additionally, all five Tiger players were named to the SCAC All-Tournament Team.
Trinity stands at 17-9, and holds a #3 ranking in the West Region. The Tigers earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Playoff, with bids to be announced May 9. The opening rounds are set for May 13-15 at a site to be determined. The NCAA Team Championship is slated for May 23-25 at Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Singles and Doubles Championships will be held May 26-28, also at Kalamazoo.
