Contact: Drew Sauer, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324

Results

KENOSHA, Wis. (Sept. 15, 2019) – Opening the season with an impressive showing at the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Fall Tournament hosted by Carthage College, the North Central College men's tennis team turned in a singles and doubles championship, while posting a total of 10 top-three finishes on the weekend at the Smeds Tennis Center.
 
In the No. 2 singles flight, Colten Way turned in the top individual performance for North Central, opening with a 7-6, 6-4 victory over Carthage's Tripp Schulte to begin the tournament.  In the semi-finals, Way rebounded from a tough second-set loss to take down Sriram Sugumaran of Augustana College in a thrilling 6-2, 3-6, 10-8 final.
 
In the final, Way again came back from a second-set loss, as Augustana's Peter Alex entered the final without losing a set but Way took the opener 6-4 before dropping the second, 5-7.  Heading to the tiebreaker, Way fought out a 10-6 win to claim the individual title at No. 2.
 
The Cardinals also turned in second-place finishes at each of the No. 1, 5 and 7 flights, as Javier Suarez Balsera began play at No. 1 with a pair of wins over 2018-19 first team All-CCIW selections including a 6-2, 6-1 straight-set win over Millikin University's Jacob Palley, before mounting a comeback 2-6, 6-4, 10-7 victory over Augustana's Alvaro Leal to advance to Sunday's final.
 
In the championship at No. 1, Suarez Balsera ran into yet another first team All-CCIW selection in Augustana's Caio Rezende, this time the latter got the better of the Cardinal freshman as Saurez Balsera dropped the title match 6-1, 6-2.
 
Competing at the No. 5 flight, Steven Mears mounted a pair of thrilling victories to begin tournament play, falling 2-6 in the opening set to Illinois Wesleyan University's Justin Piotrowski, before gaining his composure to complete a 6-2, 10-4 come from behind win.
 
In the semi-finals, Mears took the first set from Patrick Anderson of Carthage, 6-2, but suffered a 3-6 defeat in the second.  Shaking off the rough second set, Mears fought out a 10-7 victory in the tiebreaker.  In Sunday's championship match, Mears was upended by Augustana's Scott Duluga, 6-4, 6-1.
 
The third North Central runner-up showing came from Triston Robb at the No. 7 flight, cruising to a 6-0, 6-0 shutout over Joe Morro of Illinois Wesleyan, before taking down Carthage's Austin Sternbach, 6-4, 7-6 to advance to the final.
 
Squaring off against Carthage's Chris Mitev, Mears was unable to overcome a 6-2 first-set defeat and fell in straight sets 6-4.
 
The Cardinals also received third-place finishes from singles flights No. 3, 4 and 6.
 
Moving on to doubles play, the Cardinal duo of Way and Andy Hinch bested the top teams the conference has to offer, opening with a 8-4 win over Augustana's Leal and Daluga. 
 
Taking on Palley and Clayton Maack of Millikin in the semi-finals, Way and Hinch tallied an identical 8-4 win before scoring a hard fought 8-6 championship performance over Augustana's Sugumaran and Alex to earn North Central's second championship of the weekend.
 
The Cardinal combo of Justin Howes and Lucas Pindak closed out the tournament for North Central with a third-place showing in the No. 2 flight.
 
North Central finishes the shortened fall season with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Regionals, hosted by Kalamazoo College, Oct. 4-6 at Stowe Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

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