SAINT PETER, Minn. (Sept. 27) – Gustavus Adolphus College is set to host the 2018 ITA Midwest Regional Championships in Saint Peter, Minn. this weekend. The tournament runs from Friday, September 28 through Monday, October 1 and will feature 27 of the top teams in the region at seven sites throughout Saint Peter and Mankato.
The Swanson Indoor Tennis Center, located on the west edge of the Gustavus campus, will serve as headquarters for the ITA Midwest Regional Championships, with matches also taking place at the adjacent Brown Outdoor Tennis Complex.
The singles and doubles champions from the ITA Regional Championships will advance to the ITA National Small College Championships. The ITA National Small College Championships are comprised of the eight regional champions (and/or at-large selections) from NCAA Divisions II and III, NAIA, and junior/community colleges. Over 8,000 student-athletes from NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, Junior and Community Colleges compete at one of the 84 USTA/ITA Regional Championships held across the country.
The ITA National Small College Championships began in 1986 and annually crowns men’s and women’s singles and doubles national champions in each of the ITA’s four small college divisions (NCAA Divisions II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College). The ITA National Small College Championship is the only national championship event for singles and doubles at the NCAA Division II and NAIA levels. It is also the only tournament that combines all levels of Junior/Community College (NJCAA Divisions I and III and the California division). The singles and doubles champions at each divisional level will then compete to become the overall “Super Bowl” champions. The “Super Bowl” champions earn wild cards into the USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships with the opportunity to win the culminating event held at the USTA-Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
As the governing body of collegiate tennis, the ITA promotes both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which was founded in 1956 and is based in Skillman, N.J., administers numerous regional and national championships, the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit, presented by the USTA, and the ITA Rankings for men’s and women’s tennis at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior College levels. The ITA also has a comprehensive awards program for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership and sportsmanship.To learn more about the ITA, click here.
Teams competing this weekend at Gustavus include:
Bethany Lutheran, Bethel, Carleton, Carroll, Carthage, Central, Coe, Concordia-Moorhead, Concordia-Wisconsin, Cornell, Edgewood, Grinnell, Gustavus, Hamline, Loras, Luther, Macalester, Northwestern-St. Paul, Saint John’s, Saint Mary’s, St. Olaf, St. Scholastica, St. Thomas, Wartburg, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Whitewater, and Wisconsin Lutheran.