SAINT PETER, Minn. — Gustavus Adolphus College is set to host this year’s ITA Division III Men’s Team Indoor Championship, welcoming some of the best talent in Division III to Saint Peter for the tournament with first serve to take place this Friday.
Eight of the nation’s top Division III teams are set to face each other at the Swanson Tennis Center as a part of the three-day event, which guarantees each team three dual matches over the course of the weekend. The top seven teams from the final 2021-22 ITA Division III rankings earn an invite, with a spot reserved for host Gustavus.
University of Chicago enters the tournament as the top-ranked team in the field after winning the team’s first-ever National Championship at the end of last season. The Maroons head to Saint Peter without a loss this season, with a record of 6-0, which includes a ranked 7-2 victory over No. 12 Denison last Sunday.
Case Western, the reigning DIII Indoor Champions, enter this year’s tournament as the two-seed with a 7-2 overall record. Vishwa Aduru and James Hopper have led the Spartans this season, after collecting Doubles National Championship honors at the Fall ITA Cup.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, the No. 3 seed in the tournament, boasts the Fall ITA Singles National Champion, with first-year Advik Mareedu collecting honor in October. The Stags also sport an undefeated record this year, having won all four matches played, including a ranked victory over No. 27 Brandeis University (7-2).
Seven of the eight teams are ranked in the top-10 of the most recent ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings sponsored by Tennis-Point; University of Chicago (1), Case Western (2), CMS (5), Washington University in St. Louis (7), North Carolina Wesleyan (8), Pomona-Pitzer (9), and Emory rounding out the group at 10. Washington University, North Carolina Wesleyan, and Emory join Chicago and CMS as undefeated teams yet to lose a match this season. The Gusties, currently ranked No. 17 in the nation and No. 6 in their region, enter as host and No. 8 tournament seed with an overall record of 7-2.
Three of the nation’s top-10 singles players will be featured in this year’s tournament play, highlighted by Mareedu of CMS who ranks No. 1 in the nation, fifth-ranked Abhi Ramiereddy of Washington University, and Nolan Shah of Emory at No. 7. Six of the nation’s top-10 doubles pairs will partake in tournament play as well. The Central region is well-represented at this year’s tournament, as four of the eight teams attending hail from Central region institutions.
Due to disrupted travel arrangements, Friday’s match schedule will be adjusted. The schedule will be finalized late Thursday or early Friday and posted to the Gustavus Athletics tournament webpage. The tournament webpage also provides links for live scoring and a live stream of all six courts.
