MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s tennis team defeated St. Thomas 7-2 Saturday at the University of Minnesota’s Baseline Tennis Center, claiming its 32nd consecutive Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship. The Gusties have now won a total of 54 league titles after finishing the 2021 MIAC season 9-0 (14-2 overall).
“The guys were fantastic today,” Head Coach Tommy Valentini said. “We had guys step in and step up throughout the entire lineup. It was a great team effort. Nick and Alex paced us in the doubles at number one and we competed well and handled the big moments well at both two and three to get the sweep. In the singles, each of our guys played their game and stayed present and poised.”
Singles
| 1. Indraneel Raut (Jr., Oshkosh, Wis.) (GACM) def. Frank Stich (UST-M21) 6-7, 6-1, 11-9 |
| 2. Alex Budde (So., Menomonee Falls, Wis.) (GACM) def. Lennart Buhl (UST-M21) 7-6, 1-0, retired |
| 3. Jack Bergmeyer (So., Lincoln, Neb.) (GACM) def. Myles Krzewinski (UST-M21) 6-4, 6-0 |
| 4. Oscar Wikstrom (So., Hunnebostrand, Sweden) (GACM) def. Tristan Fjelstad (UST-M21) 6-2, 7-6 |
| 5. Aashish Bharath (UST-M21) def. Joseph Punnoose (Jr., Bloomington) (GACM) 4-6, 2-1, retired |
| 6. Anshul Bharath (UST-M21) def. Federico Fiorda (So., Santa Rosa, Argentina) (GACM) 6-2, 7-6 |
Doubles
| 1. Nick Aney (Jr., Rochester)/Alex Budde (GACM) def. Frank Stich/Tristan Fjelstad (UST-M21) 8-2 |
| 2. Joseph Punnoose/Sourabh Terakanambi (So., Apple Valley) (GACM) def. Sterling Sibley/Myles Krzewinski (UST-M21) 8-4 |
| 3. Indraneel Raut/Jack Bergmeyer (GACM) def. Anshul Bharath/Aashish Bharath (UST-M21) 8-6 |
“We’re grateful for the win and for the conference title,” Valentini said. “It means a lot to our program and to this group. We’re looking forward to some rest and to preparing for another exciting challenge in this week.”
The Gusties will host the winner of the No. 4/5 MIAC quarterfinal match at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.