BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Six Gustavus Adolphus College men’s tennis players were named to the All-MIAC Team that was announced Tuesday by the conference office. Senior Andres Saenz (Cancun, Mexico), and sophomores Zach Ekstein (Eagan, Minn.) and Mohanad Alhouni (Tripoli, Libya) were each named to the All-Conference singles and doubles teams, while senior Mitch Elofson (St. Peter, Minn.) and sophomore Gabe Steinwand (Moorhead, Minn.) were named to the singles squad, and sophomore Tommy Entwistle (Sioux Falls, S.D.) was named to the doubles team. In addition, Coach Tommy Valentini earned the Steve Wilkinson Coach of the Year honor for the third time in his seven seasons at the helm of his alma mater, and Steinwand was named the conference’s Elite 22 winner, which honors the individual with the highest GPA at the MIAC Playoff Championship site.
Elofson
Saenz
Elofson, a senior captain, is making his first appearance on the All-MIAC singles team. The St. Peter native primarily held down the No. 4 singles and No. 3 doubles positions on the year. In singles, Elofson went 22-13 overall, including a 6-0 mark in the MIAC. In doubles, he compiled a record of 19-6, including a 4-0 conference record.
Saenz, another senior captain, is making his second straight appearance on both the singles and doubles teams and the doubles honor is his third overall. The senior played No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles for the Gusties, posting a 16-9 overall singles record (4-0 MIAC) and 21-10 doubles mark (3-2 MIAC).
Ekstein
Alhouni
Ekstein, a sophomore, made the jump from No. 6 singles last season and held down the No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles spots this year. The Eagan native went 26-5 (5-0 MIAC) in singles and 24-9 (6-1 MIAC) in doubles. This marks Ekstein’s first appearance on both teams.
Alhouni, who is ranked No. 4 in the nation and No. 5 in the region, earns his second consecutive singles and doubles honors in his sophomore season. The Libya native played the No. 1 singles and doubles positions for the Gusties this year, going 26-9 (6-1 MIAC) in singles and 24-9 (5-2 MIAC) in doubles.
Entwistle
Steinwand
Valentini
In his first season in the Gustie’s regular lineup, Entwistle primarily played No. 5 singles and No. 2 doubles. The Sioux Falls product went 17-10 (5-0 MIAC) in singles, while posting a 22-10 (5-1 MIAC) doubles mark in his sophomore season.
Steinwand also saw his first action in the Gustie lineup this year, with most of his action coming at the No. 6 singles position. The second-year went 18-8 (6-0 MIAC) in singles and posted a 7-3 (2-1 MIAC) doubles record over the course of the season. He earned the Elite 22 Award after posting a 3.89 GPA as a chemistry major.
In 2016, Valentini helped his team continue a remarkable dynasty, as it won its 28th-straight MIAC regular-season title, sixth-straight MIAC Playoff championship, and pushed its regular-season conference-match winning streak to 260 in a row and counting.
The Gusties will take on Coe College this Saturday in their first match of the NCAA Championships in Chicago. Gustavus earned the MIAC’s automatic berth to the national tournament after earning the conference playoff title this past Sunday with a 5-0 win over Carleton College.
As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC also announced the 10th annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team for men’s tennis. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the court. Representing Gustavus on this year’s All-Sportsmanship Team was senior Saenz.