For the 28th straight year, Gustavus Adolphus College has earned the MIAC Men’s Tennis Conference title. This tremendous streak dates back to a time where many of the players of this year’s squad were yet to be born. The rich tradition of Gustavus Men’s Tennis is still as strong as ever. Continuing this streak is no easy feat, however. A lot of pressure comes with defending such strong tradition.
“As a team, our goal is to win the conference. There is pressure in maintaining the streak of consecutive MIAC championships. It is a good challenge every year,” Senior Andres Saenz said. Saenz has been a member of four teams that have brought home the conference title.
To Head Coach Tommy Valentini (’02), tradition is extremely important. Valentini holds the legacy of Gustavus Tennis that has been present for decades in the highest regard.
“We are very thankful for a great regular season. It is a special accomplishment for this group to win the MIAC championship. We feel honored to be a part of such a strong and meaningful tradition as members of the Gustavus Men’s Tennis family. More important than the streak, however, is the way in which our guys have represented that tradition all year. We are fortunate to be a part of this special legacy, and representing our tradition well is a top priority for our guys. Our most important goal is to live out our team values and competitive identity each time we play,” Valentini said.
On top of continuing this astounding streak, this spring has had its fair share of other highlights for the team, including an undefeated tour of MIAC conference play, earning a top 25 national ranking, defeating other highly ranked opponents, and other various honors and awards. A recipient of an abundance of these awards is the very talented sophomore, Mohaned Alhouni. Alhouni has been named MIAC tennis athlete of the week a whopping four times this spring.
“It is for sure motivating to me to get such an award, but I try not to focus on it too much or be distracted with what’s happening around me. This way, it helps me take some pressure off and be consistent throughout the year,” Alhouni said.
The team now will enter postseason play, which will begin this weekend when the Gusties host the MIAC playoff tournament. Head Coach Valentini explained that this tournament is entirely team based, and if the first-seeded Gusties were to win the tournament, they would earn an automatic bid to the NCAA team championships.
“Most importantly, we want to enjoy being a together as a team for a few more weeks, and to enjoy the exciting and unique moments that playoff competition produces. We’re grateful for the opportunity to be together, to play in these exciting matches, and to pursue our full potential as a team as we handle the adversity that comes in many forms in the post-season. We feel like if we focus on what we can control, support and sacrifice for each other, and enjoy every moment, we’ll be in our best posture to play well in the post-season,” Head Coach Valentini said, regarding postseason play.
In addition to the NCAA team championships, there is also an NCAA singles championship tournament, which consists of 32 players selected by the NCAA committee, and a doubles championship tournament, which is made up of 16 duos selected by the same committee, Valentini explained. Members of the team are hoping to continue their successful season into postseason play.
“My individual goals are to continue to be a positive contributor to the team and also to make it to nationals in doubles with Mohanad Alhouni. It has been a great experience to play for Gustavus and I´ve been trying to get the most out of it by enjoying every single time on the court and with my teammates,” Saenz said.
Saenz is hoping to end his career here at Gustavus on a high note. As for Saenz’s doubles partner, Alhouni, he hopes to compete at all three portions of the NCAA championships: team, singles, and doubles.
“My team goal coming up is to focus this week on the playoffs and make sure we are mentally prepared to take on strong competition and hopefully advance to regionals and go in to the NCAA tourney. My individual goal is to keep putting in the hard work and make sure whenever I step out on the court, I am giving full effort no matter what the situation is. I also hope to get a chance to compete at the NCAA tournament for singles and doubles, which will be after the team nationals,” Alhouni said.
With a highly successful regular season behind them, the men’s tennis team hopes to duplicate the success that led to their 28th straight MIAC title and continue to let the Gustavus men’s tennis tradition shine in postseason play.