INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Committee has selected the individuals who will compete in the singles and doubles competition of the 2018 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championships and two Gusties have been chosen – Mohanad Alhouni (Sr., Tripoli, Libya) in singles, and Patrick Whaling (Jr., Manakin Sabot, Va.) will pair with Alhouni in doubles. Zach Ekstein (Sr., Eagan, Minn.) is the second singles alternate, should any players drop out of the competition.
As he nears the end of his historic collegiate career, Alhouni earned his fourth-straight All-MIAC singles and doubles honors this week. Ranked as the top Division III singles player in the country after capturing the national championship at the ITA Oracle Cup last October, Alhouni went 4-0 in the MIAC in singles play and is 26-7 overall. As the No. 6-ranked doubles team in the nation along with Whaling as his partner, the duo went 5-0 in the MIAC and is 21-4 overall. Last season, Alhouni lost in the first round of the NCAA singles competition, while he and Whaling lost in the quarterfinal round of doubles play.
For the individual championships, the national committee will select seven singles players and three doubles teams from each of the four regions. Additionally, the committee would then select the remaining four singles players and four doubles team berths from a national at-large pool. The individual championships shall consist of 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams. The selection of teams and individuals for the championships is based on win-lost record, strength of schedule, and eligibility and availability of student-athletes.
The team championship will take place May 21-23, and the individual championships May 24-26, both at The Biszantz Family Tennis Center in Claremont, California, and will be hosted by the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.