No. 25 Trinity Men's Tennis Gears Up for NCAA Tournament
 
The 25th-ranked Trinity University men's tennis team rose to the occasion, defeating Southwestern 4-1, and clinching the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship for the 15th consecutive time. 
 
Last Time
 
The Tigers won the SCAC title for the 29th time in the program's history, as well as the 15th consecutive conference championship. Head Coach Russell McMindes has directed the storied Trinity tennis program for the last 15 seasons. This marked the 33rd consecutive appearance in the SCAC Championship Match for the Tigers and the 10th straight meeting in the final match between Trinity and Southwestern.
 
Doubles action set the tone for the day as the Tigers found themselves in a fierce battle right from the opening serve. The fiery duo of Jared Perry (Tucson, Arizona / Catalina Foothills) and Conor Kaczmarczyk (Aurora, Colorado / Regis Jesuit) struck first, dismantling their opponents 6-2 at line #3. But Southwestern refused to go out quietly, responding with a 6-3 win over the 10th-nationally ranked duo of Rocco Mendez (Las Vegas, Nevada / Odyssey Charter School) and Kishan Kersten (Plano, Texas / Plano West) at #1 doubles. With the doubles point hanging by a thread, the pressure fell squarely on the shoulders of the senior duo Aashish Dhanani (Austin, Texas / Westwood) and Eric Liao (Taipei, Taiwan / Boca Prep). In a tense tiebreaker, the duo delivered under pressure, etching out a clutch 7-6 (7-4) win to snatch the vital doubles point for the Tigers.
 
Fueled by the doubles triumph, Liao came out firing at #5 singles, demolishing his opponent 6-1, 6-0 to extend the lead. Once again, Southwestern then showed their grit, as they battled past Roshin Kamath (League City, Texas / Clear Springs) 6-4, 6-2 at #6 singles to bring the match back within reach at 2-1. Ryan Warren (Keller, Texas / Connection Academy) then swung the pendulum back Trinity's way, delivering a composed and ruthless 6-4, 6-1 victory at #3 singles to push the Tigers to the brink of the title.
 
Needing only a point to win, it was fitting that the clinching moment came from the ever-reliable Kersten at #4. After winning the first set 6-3 and dropping an unfortunate second set 6-2, Kersten slammed the door shut with a commanding 6-0 win in the third, securing the 4-1 triumph and crowning Trinity as the SCAC Tournament Champions.
 
At the time of clinching, the battles at the top two singles courts were both still in progress. Perry had split sets with Southwestern's Oscar Roy at #1 singles, winning the first 6-1 before narrowly dropping the second 6-4, while Mendez was locked in a tight contest at #2 singles, trailing after two hard-fought sets. Both matches were left unfinished as Trinity sealed the championship.
 
Preview - Dust off Your Dancing Shoes
 
The Tigers prepare for their first matches of the 2025 NCAA tournament as they travel to Claremont, CA to face No. 18 Pomona-Pitzer on Friday, May 9 at 11 a.m. (PT). If they defeat Pomona-Pitzer, the Tigers will then return to action the following day to face the winner of No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and East Texas Baptist.
 
On the No. 18 Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens: The Sagehens are 14-12 so far this year with wins against No. 12 Middlebury 5-2, No. 20 Sewanee 5-1, No. 31 Gustavus Adolphus. The Sagehens have been defeated this season by San Diego State 2-5 (Division 1). Azusa Pacific 3-4 (Division 2), No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 3-4 & 0-4, No. 3 Tufts 1-6, No. 5 University of Chicago 3-4, and No. 21 Christopher Newport 3-4. The Sagehens will look to standout freshman Drew Goldman to lead the way. Goldman is 12-4 in singles and 13-8 in doubles. Goldman defeated his opponent from San Diego State 6-4, 6-2 (Division 1), Azusa Pacific 6-3, 4-6, 11-9 (Division 2), No. 2 Tufts 7-6 (11-9), University of Chicago 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, and No. 10 Amherst 6-4, 6-4. Goldman's four defeats this season have been 4-6, 6-3, 3-6 & 3-6, 3-6 defeats to No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and two retirement defeats to No. 17 Williams College and No. 32 CalTech. Trinity has faced off against Pomona-Pitzer on two occasions this season, with the Sagehens taking the first match in California 2-5, and Trinity taking the match in Texas 5-2. Tigers' all-time record against the Sagehens is a positive 9-5. The Tigers will look to take the season lead over the Sagehens, this time in their backyard, as they travel to California to face off in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Monday, May 19, at 11 a.m. (PT)
 
On the No. 1 Claremont Stags: The Stags are 28-2 this year and are currently ranked as the top team in Division III. The Stags are on a 26-match win streak and are fresh off a SCIAC conference championship where they swept No. 18 Pomona-Pitzer and No. 15 Redlands in the semi-final and final respectively. This season the Stags have defeated UC Riverside 5-2 (Division 1), No. 3 Tufts 5-2, No. 5 University of Chicago 4-3 on two separate occasions, Bucknell 5-2 (Division 1), Hawaii Pacific 4-3 (Division 2), and No. 12 Middlebury 4-3. The Stags have suffered just two losses this season, both 3-4 defeats to Division 2 opponents Concordia University Irvine and Point Loma. Claremont will look to senior Advik Mareedu to get on the board. Mareedu is 23-1 in singles and 16-8 in doubles. In singles, Mareedu has defeated 19 of his 23 opponents in two sets. His only loss of the season came against Westmont College 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-7 (6-8). Earlier this season, Trinity was defeated by Claremont 1-6. The Tigers' all-time record against the Stags is 0-17. If the Tigers are to defeat Pomona-Pitzer in the first round, it is likely they will face Claremont in the second round of the NCAA tournament. 
 
On the East Texas Baptist Tigers: The Tigers are 14-5 this spring and fresh off of an American Southwest Conference tournament championship. The ETBU Tigers have most impressively defeated Berry 4-3, Mary-Hardin Baylor 5-1 & 5-2, UT Dallas 4-2, and Hardin-Simmons 4-3 in the ASC championship match. Their most notable defeats came against Hardin-Simmons 3-4 in the regular season, Dallas Baptist 1-6 (Division 2), and Trinity 0-7. The ETBU Tigers will look to senior Brylee White to get on the board. White is 12-5 in singles and 14-3 in doubles, with his most notable singles victories coming against Southwestern 6-1, 7-6 and Mary Hardin Baylor 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. White was defeated by UC Santa Cruz 1-6, 6-7, Berry 4-6, 1-6, and Trinity's (Connor Whittington Lake Oswego, Ore. / Lake Oswego) 5-7, 6-4, 1-6. The Trinity Tigers' all-time record against the ETBU Tigers stands at a perfect 5-0. If ETBU is to pull off a major upset against Claremont and Trinity is to defeat Pomona-Pitzer, then it could be a battle of the Texas Tigers for a spot in the quarterfinal of the NCAA tournament. 
 
Looking Ahead
 
If the Tigers are to defeat Pomona-Pitzer and either Claremont or East Texas Baptist in the following round, they will play their quarterfinal match on Monday, May 19.