Article courtesy of Matt Higgins – Assistant Executive Director of the MIAC
St. Paul – Gustavus senior Amrik Donkena (Rochester, Minn./Mayo) had a huge performance to lead Gustavus to an impressive 6-3 nonconference win over UW-Whitewater on a day when the Gusties showcased their depth in a pair of victories. Donkena contributed wins in both singles and doubles play to help his squad beat UWW 6-3, as the Gusties also earned a 9-0 conference win over Hamline the same day. For his performance, Donkena was named the MIAC Men’s Tennis Athlete-of-the-Week.
Donkena got off to a great start when he and partner Mya Smith-Dennis battled back for a 9-8 win at No. 1 doubles. The duo was down 4-7, but fought back to score the victory and give Gustavus a 2-1 lead. Donkena then scored a narrow straight-sets victory at No. 2 singles to help close out the win. He claimed a 7-6 win in the first set, and finished up the victory with a 6-4 win in the second set. This spring, Donkena is 5-3 in singles play and 8-2 in doubles action for the Gusties.
Thanks to the two wins, Gustavus improved to 8-3 overall and remained undefeated at 3-0 in the MIAC this season. The Gusties are one of four teams still unbeaten in conference play and are in search of their 25th-straight conference title. Gustavus will be back in action Saturday with a pair of home matches. Donkena and company will face Saint John’s in MIAC match at 9:30 a.m., then will take on Elmhurst in a nonconference contest at 6 p.m. The Johnnies (2-2, 2-0 MIAC) are one of the other three unbeaten teams in MIAC play.