(Story courtesy of Trinity University)
ST. PETER, Minn. – The 11th-ranked Trinity Tigers men advanced to the NCAA Division III quarterfinals with a 5-2 third-round victory over the No. 9 University of Chicago Maroons Sunday at the Regional Tournament at Brown Outdoor Tennis Complex. Interactive Bracket
Trinity (16-12), led by second-year head Coach Russell McMindes, will take on No. 2 Amherst, the 2010 NCAA runner-up, on May 24 at Claremont, Calif. The Tigers will make their second straight appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals, and 14th overall. Last year, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, the host of the upcoming event, beat Trinity 5-2 in the quarters at Oberlin, Ohio.
Sunday's match with Chicago was clinched at No. 1 singles as junior Max Frey defeated Will Zhang 6-2, 6-2. Frey clinched the 5-3 victory over the host Gustavus Adolphus Gusties in Saturday's second-round match.
The Tigers, down 1-2 after doubles, won four of six singles matches in Sunday's match, with two matches halted after Frey's deciding win.
Trinity first-year player Greg Haugen evened the score at 2-2 by beating Kuwal Pawa 6-1, 6-0 at No. 5 singles. The Tigers took over the lead as senior Cory Kowal won No. 4 singles by a score of 6-3, 6-2 over Jan Stefanski.
Junior Ben Carroll captured No. 6 singles, defeating Harrison Abrams 6-1, 6-1.
The No. 2 singles match between Trinity senior Bobby Cocanougher and Chicago's Troy Brinker was halted, with Brinker leading 7-5, 4-3. Tiger sophomore Erick DelaFuente and Chicago's Alex Golovin did not finish No. 3 singles. DelaFuente won the opening set 7-5, and Golovin led the second 1-0.
Cocanougher and Kowal won No. 1 doubles with an 8-6 victory over Golovin and Stefanski. Brinker and Neil Karandika beat DelaFuente and Frey 8-5 at No. 2 doubles. The Maroons Pawa and Abrams took the No. 3 match, beating Carroll and senior Don Murray, also by a score of 8-5.
Trinity, which received a first-round bye, gained an automatic bid by winning its second straight Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship, and 16th overall.
The Tiger men and women, led by head Coach Butch Newman (now Trinity's director of tennis), won the 2000 NCAA Team Championships.
The NCAA Team Tournament is slated for May 24-26, and the Singles and Doubles Championships from May 27-29. Cocanougher and Kowal, last year's NCAA finalists, will compete in the 16-team doubles event. Frey and Cocanougher will represent the Tigers in the 32-draw singles championship.
Sophomore Thavindra Ekanayake received a bid to the NCAA Women's Singles Championship, and will play May 27-29, also at Claremont.
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