(Story courtesy of Trinity University)
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Trinity Tiger sophomore Aaron Skinner (Columbia, MO/Rock Bridge) won his opening two matches Thursday at the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Singles Championship.
Skinner came into the tournament as the No. 8 seed in the 32-draw tournament, and rallied to defeat Deepak Sabada of Chicago 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 in the first round. The All-American then beat Edwin Zhang of MIT 6-2, 6-2 in the second round later in the day. Both matches were played indoors because of inclement weather.
With the two victories, he moves on to Friday's quarterfinals, facing third-seeded Trey Meyer of Williams College, beginning at 11:00 a.m. (ET) at Kalamazoo College. The semifinals are slated for approximately 2:30 p.m., and the championship match will be played Saturday at 9:00 a.m.
Skinner stepped up during the second and third sets set of his match with Sabada, and utilized an aggressive all-court game. It was much the same in the second-round match with Zhang, but Skinner got off to a quicker start and dictated play from the beginning.
Last fall, Skinner captured the ITA/National Small College Singles Championship at Mobile, Alabama. Earlier this month, Skinner was elected the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Player of the Year.
The Tigers won their 18th SCAC Championship and advanced to the NCAA Team Tournament for the 20th time. After winning the two rounds of the NCAA Regional, Trinity fell 5-1 in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Williams. The Tigers are led by fourth-year Head Coach Russell McMindes, who is a four-time SCAC Coach of the Year. Trinity completed the campaign with a 20-10 record.
